


Gods Walk Here

by CasTheButler



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Character Death, Implied abuse, Mild Sexual Content, non-graphic depictions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-09-22
Packaged: 2019-07-04 13:11:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15841989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CasTheButler/pseuds/CasTheButler
Summary: In a place where witches and old gods alike make their home, warring factions of magic are rising to a final stand. Lines have blurred, families have been torn apart and the battle for Kevin Day’s soul is the beginning of the end. Neil Josten doesn’t want to do this, but after several long years, they’ve run out of options. It’s finally time to burn the castle down.





	1. PROLOGUE: REWIND.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi Folks! so this is my entry into the AFTG Big Bang.
> 
> It's been a bit a wild ride getting to this point and I'm sure I have several errors and plotholes throughout this story that I'm hoping you'll forgive me for getting a little self-indulgent. 
> 
> I'm also going to space out posting a little because technically I'm still writing the last chapter.

The boy pushes the heels of his feet into the ribs of his companion. He’s too old for this now, in human terms he’s only a few years off his adulthood. His friend grabs his ankle and tugs at it.

“What’s got you in a sulk?” his friend asks, it’s easy to tell the boy is in a horrible mood. The boy turns and curls into himself, letting out a loud huff.

“I don’t want to go,” the boy says softly. The man, for his companion, is now full grown, but only on a technicality. Neither of them has come to show the maturity of their forebears.

“Just take care of each other,” the man says, shifting further up the bed to stroke his fingers through the boy’s hair.

“I don’t see why I have to do anything, they’re always together, I don’t need to go.” the boy whispers, clutching at the pillow next to him.

“You’ll have a great time, and it’ll be a grand adventure.” The man replies.

“You are a liar.” the boy spits out, punctuating every word. The man pulls his hand away and stands up, smoothing out the creases of his uniform. He turns back to the boy and smiles weakly.

“If it means anything to you, we don’t want you to go either,” he says. The boy sits up, clutching the bed sheets to his fully clothed chest.

“It means nothing.” He says, his face completely blank. The man nods before leaving the chambers. The boy clambers after him, but he’s already gone. “It might mean something one day Kinderbruder” the boy mutters. He slams his fist into the wall, hard enough to make it bleed before trying to get some sleep.

Tomorrow his life changes forever.


	2. A FOX RUNNING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which we get into the actual story.

The room around Neil Josten is pitch black, he blinks his eyes a couple of times and adjusts his sight. He can feel someone breathing at his neck. If he twists slightly, he can make out the blonde hair and pale skin of his partner Andrew Minyard. On the other side of the room Andrew’s familiar, a werecat named Jean is breathing quicker than he should be. Neil watches his chest rises and falls, and surmises the boy is having a nightmare. Neil can’t be entirely sure of the cause, yet he finds it’s not hard to hazard a guess. Neil pushes himself gently against Andrew and is rewarded with an arm wrapped tight around his waist. He can have this until the sunrise.

Neil is startled fully awake by a sharp shove at his shoulder and harsh fluorescent lighting. He turns to glare groggily at Andrew. He leans down and hesitates a moment to give Andrew a chance to react before pressing a kiss to his partner’s lips.

“I think it's time you run away,” Andrew says against his mouth. Neil let's out a snarl, and then hides a huff laughter “Oh? You don't like that?” Andrew teases, his voice is the wrong side of cruel. Neil doesn't mind. He understands what game they're playing. Nobody else would be able to get away with it.

“Drew,” Neil growls warningly. Andrew smiles and tugs at Neil’s lower lip with his teeth. Neil headbutts Andrew with a little force. Andrew worms his arms around Neil’s hips, dragging them close together. He sinks the tips of his teeth into Neil’s shoulder. Neil yelps and pins Andrew to the bed.

“Time to go now Neil,” Andrew says. Neil stares at Andrew for a few moments. He rolls off Andrew and the bed. He starts to collect his things as quickly as he can before gravitating back towards Andrew. He curls his fingers against Andrew’s neck searching for a pulse under the small wave embedded in a triangle design etched into Andrew’s skin.

“You got any intel for me to take back?” Neil asks.

“Neil,” Andrew hisses sharply, folding his arms over his chest.

“Give him the documents Andrew,” Jean pipes up. “It only compromises the people we want it to compromise.” he points out. Andrew and Neil both turn to him. Jean shrugs at them.

“You know how I feel about trusting people,” Andrew says. Neil isn’t sure for whose benefit.

“Yes. Yes,” Jean says sarcastically. “Trust stops and starts with each other. Now kiss goodbye.” Neil follows instructions and plucks the intel out of Andrew’s hands while he’s kissing him.

“I don’t like leaving you here,” Neil says. Andrew sighs and tugs at the strands of Neil’s hair.

“I signed a contract, same as you. Go home.” Andrew says. Neil lets out one last long-suffering sigh, gives Jean a quick hug goodbye, and leaves.

There are no windows in the sleeping quarters of the Evermore stronghold, yet Neil knows dawn has long since broken. Neil must hurry if he wants to avoid unsavoury attention. Neil’s uncle was once the head of this coven, but now the person in charge was power hungry and cruller still. Neil shouldn’t have been so surprised, Riko Moriyama hadn’t changed since childhood and Neil had no love left for the witch. He flicks his hood over his hair and face and moves quickly. He pauses in front of a familiar door and presses his hand against it. His magic seeps through the wood trying to bring a sense of calm to the terror that lay behind it. They’d been a family once, Riko and Neil and Kevin Day. Neil hadn’t seen Kevin for years, could only feel traces of the friend Riko had twisted into nothing more than a shell. Neil steps away from the door and keeps moving. He knows the Ravens are stirring.

“Going somewhere, Nath… Neil?” A voice asks from his left. Neil turns his head startled. Surely he can’t be this unlucky. His shoulders relax a minuscule amount when he finds the voice belongs to Thea Muldani. At least there's a chance Neil can reason with her.

“Can I have five minutes before you raise the alarm?” he asks. Thea considers him and scans the hallway around them.

“You have three,” She tells him, folding her arms over her chest. Neil can see the solid definition of her muscles. Thea is a powerful witch, but she doesn’t need magic to knock him out. Neil runs. He’ll have to leave her a gift next time he sneaks in to see Andrew. Once he’s outside of Evermore’s warding, he gestures to open a portal and steps through. It drops him in the middle of the city. Neil isn’t dumb enough to open one straight into The Foxhole. Neil rolls his shoulders a few times and then squares them, before setting himself on a determined march southwards.

The walk to The Foxhole takes Neil the better part of a few hours. It looks like a semi-run down looking tavern, but the locals know it’s got the best meals in the city. By the time Neil drags his hands across a wooden door in the back alley to create an entry sigil, he feels as though his legs are going to collapse under him. The door swings open to reveal a large room and half a dozen pairs of eyes turn to stare at him.

“Neil” Nicky Hemmick exclaims barrelling over as soon as he spots Neil. Nicky is The Foxhole’s only human resident. Nicky stops just before he crashes into him. He looks Neil up and down, a searching look on his face. Neil wraps his arms around Nicky and gives him a light hug.

“I’m fine,” Neil says, and Nicky tightens his grip.

“Would you let the poor boy go?” Dan Wilds’ voice comes from his left and Nicky lets him go. Dan is the second-most in command of their small clan. Neil can understand why, even if some of the other members give her grief sometimes and try to undermine her. Neil would happily follow her lead almost anywhere.

Neil wordlessly walks across the room and slumps into his Den in the corner. Dan follows him over, but he makes a stopping motion, and she freezes.

“Later captain,” Neil says. She clicks her tongue disapprovingly at him before sighing and walking away. Neil circles around himself several times before curling into a ball on his blanket and dozing off to sleep.

 

Neil goes to find Dan as soon as he wakes. In the end, it’s an easy task. He sees her in the far corner sitting with Matt Boyd, Ali Reynolds and Seth Gordon. The four of them are peering intently at something between them. Neil slides his way between Matt and Seth to try and get a closer look. Seth smacks him hard over the head  
“Watch it.” Seth hisses. Neil snarls at him.

“Now, now cub” Ali says soothingly. Neil feels himself calm down, but he still pokes his tongue out at Seth who rolls his eyes.

“Hello Neil, we were just discussing the expansion of territory,” Neil looks closely at the map laid out in front of him. Several parts of it are lit up, from the heat of the magic, Neil is guessing that’s from Matt’s handy work.

“That’s Jackal territory,” he says. Dan looks at where he’s pointing and shakes her head.

“No, look it’s neutral,” she says, tapping on the paper to reiterate her point. Neil takes an internal breath. He’s antagonistic by nature. He doesn’t need Dan thinking he’s just riling her up.

“You need to update the map, Andrew said the Ravens ran into them a couple of months ago, several of their witches were injured, but if you want to get into a dispute over a couple of miles of quite frankly useless land. You can go ahead.” Neil tells her. Dan is silent for a few seconds before placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay everyone, take a break” Dan commands, and everyone else at the table scatters. Dan takes a moment to roll up the map. Carefully not looking at Neil as she does so.

“How are things going, are they okay?” Dan asks. Neil doesn’t mean to flinch at the question. He can’t help it even after all this time. It doesn’t get any easier. Neil lays his head down on the table, lifts it back up and slams it back down.

“It’s the same as it always is. Jean and Andrew are still bound by their contracts which for the most part isn't an issue. It's just I don't like them being there with Riko in charge. Kevin isn't getting better, no matter what we do. I feel like we're not doing enough, but at this point the options are slim” Neil trails off. Kevin is slipping deeper and deeper into Riko’s control. He’s not sure how much of his friend is left, and he hates thinking that all of this is for nothing.

“It’ll get better. There’s still hope” Dan tells him. Neil wants to lash out so much it's driving him wild.

“I don’t feel like there’s any hope,” Neil snarls. Dan looks momentarily taken aback, but she recovers from it quickly.

“I just need to blow off steam,” he decides out loud and shifts himself, the world makes more sense to him when he’s only 14 inches off the ground. Neil stretches out his paws and flicks his tail back and forth before darting forward at top speed. Nobody pays that much attention to him. He continues to happily dash around the room, bouncing off the walls for about an hour. A hand picks him up by the scruff of the neck, and he lashes himself around to get free.

“You’ll lose another tail like that,” The gruff voice of their leader says. Neil shifts back to human and lets out a huff of air. Today David Wymack’s hair is a garish yellow, his rainbow tattoos swirl like snakes up his dark arms.

“I have more than enough. I can afford it” Neil replies with a grin.

“Boy if you lose any more of your lives I'll skin you myself,” Wymack tells him. “Now stop running about the place like a mad thing. Do you have any good news?” Neil lets out a telling groan and walks himself over to a spare end of a table. Their residence only has three, but they’re generally long enough that if you sit far enough at one end and keep your voices low, you can have a conversation with minimal interference.

“Andrew is fine. I have some documents for you. I haven't bothered to look. It'll be the usual information I'm sure. Jean has a lot more bruises than the last time I saw him but it doesn’t seem to be a concern, Kevin is…” Neil takes a deep breath and fidgets with the edge of his collar. “Well, he’s worse than I’ve ever felt him. Huginn has completely succumbed, and Muginn is part way there.” Wymack grabs Neil’s hand and squeezes it before letting you and nodding.

“Thank you,” he tells him. Neil waits a couple of beats before getting up and leaving him be. He searches Nicky at and sits beside him. The two knock shoulders, and there are a few seconds of companionable silence before Nicky feels the need to fill it with chit-chat. Neil should have expected this. After a few minutes, Aaron joins the two of them.

People liked to compare Aaron to Andrew because it was easy, and it made sense. Neil enjoyed doing the opposite to try to find every difference he possibly could and then whisper it to Aaron over dinner. Aaron felt it was the highlight of his day.

“How’s my brother?” Aaron asks softly pressing his knee into Neil’s as though he can feel his creator on Neil’s skin. Perhaps he can, Neil has never asked.

“He’s good, his magic has gotten more powerful, and he’s, well not happy, but close? I think he’s frustrated” Neil tries to explain to the best of his ability. It must work, because both Aaron and Nicky nod.

“Sounds right. Hey, can you take Andrew a letter next time you go? I have some stuff to ask about my spell” Aaron says. He holds out a small bit of parchment and Neil pockets it instantly. He knows he won’t lose it in the next few weeks.

Neil stretches himself out leaning himself forward and sitting on his knees before pushing back and up into standing position. He often prefers to be awake during the night time, but he’s had a long couple of days.

“Goodnight,” he tells the others, and they echo it back.

Neil passes by Seth and Ali’s mattress on the way to his Den. He bumps his hip into Seth lightly.

“We okay?” he asks. Seth nods and ruffles a hand through Neil’s hair without looking up.

“Yeah, always” he replies and forcibly shoves Neil on his way, Neil laughs playfully and keeps going. Seth is an asshole by nature. He can’t help that any more than the rest of them can. Neil remembers the feelings of overwhelming anger and madness he’d felt when he’d first met Seth. He still gets under Neil’s skin consistently, but it’s become easier to keep in check over the years.

Neil gets to bed with no more interruptions and manages to sleep through an entire night, something that’s a miracle in The Foxhole. Abby wakes him up by flicking a plank of wood out from the wall and prodding him. Neil swats out a hand and pushes her back in.

“Come and clean some dishes,” she says, using a small figurine that’s sitting on a shelf above his head. Neil groans and rolls over, Abby whacks him a little harder. Neil glares in a random direction. It doesn’t matter where he looks. Abby is all around them. He gets up and pulls on his shirt. It’s early enough in the morning that a majority of people are still asleep. Renee is meditating in her corner, so Neil tries to be as quiet and respectfully as possible when he pushes the door open to the Tavern proper.

The barmaid, a young woman, named Katelyn is already there when he walks in. He greets her and grabs a tub of dishes from the bar. Katelyn isn’t an official part of The Foxhole. She knows nothing about what they are or the magic they possess. She’s well protected, and everyone makes sure no harm comes to her whether it be something life-threatening or just a few drunkards getting a little too grabby at her. Neil smiles to himself as he recalls one time when one, in particular, wouldn’t let up and Dan had kicked him swiftly in his privates. Neil hoped the man hadn’t planned on kids because he’s sure the captain ruined his chances.

There are a few guests from the rooms above that have sauntered there way down the stairs for an early breakfast. When Neil walks through into the kitchen, he finds Matt frying eggs and bacon in a pan.

“Hey Babe,” Matt calls out. Neil lets out a slightly surprised sound, and Matt turns to look at him. “Oh, sorry Neil,” Matt says sheepishly. Neil places his tub down on some free counter space.

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Neil tells him as he fills up the sink, grabbing the soap and a dishcloth. The water is freezing when he plunges his hands into it. Neil shivers and flicks it off his hands. “Can you heat up the water for me?” he asks.

“Sure, just let me plate up this food” Matt replies, a couple of minutes later Matt leans over the sink and makes a series of quick hand gestures. Neil tests it out and smiles gratefully. He loves the feeling of Matt's warmth. It's a symbol of safety, something that doesn't come from anyone else. Neil feels a great affection for Matt, not dissimilar to how he’d think of a brother. Jean had explained to Neil once how he felt about Andrew. Neil had wondered privately if this could be counted as the same.

“Thank you,” Neil tells him.

Neil’s morning passes by slowly and uneventfully. It agitates him like an itch buried deep under his skin. He sits down at a spare table with his lunch, trying to keep out of the way of paying guests. He has a mouthful of ham when an elderly couple slides into the chairs across from him. He blinks at them a couple of times in confusion before swallowing his food.

“Can I help you?” Neil asks them. He doesn't recognise them, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know them. They could be shifters or using a spell. Neil sniffs at them. He doesn't notice any substantial magic.

“We were wondering if you would like to come to stay with us, we live on a very nice farm.” The woman says excitedly. Neil narrows his eyes at her.

“I'm not for sale,” Neil says lowly, keeping the growl out of his voice.

“Of course not son, we want to look after you. Give you a home” The man says. Neil sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Sir, exactly how old do you think I am?” Neil asks, returning to his half-eaten lunch.

“It's hard to tell Dear, about nine or ten? You're just so small. We'll have to feed you up. This is not enough food for a growing boy” the woman says in a rush.

“With no due respect, I'm twenty-seven and unless you want to buy more food and drinks from the establishment. I suggest you leave before I remove you” Neil tells them. The couple gathers their things in a hurry muttering under their breath at Neil's rudeness. The age thing isn't entirely a lie. Neil has lost and gained years over his life-span. It comes with the territory.

“Enjoy the rest of your day” Katelyn calls after him as he crosses the threshold into the foxhole.

 

Neil stretches his arms over his head. He can see Nicky, Seth and Ali playing a game of cards, he ignores them and wanders over to Aaron’s cot. Aaron is rummaging through the drawers underneath it. Neil lets out a small noise rather than touch the boy for attention. Aaron sits back on the heels of his feet, not turning to look at Neil.

“Have you seen my razor? I can’t find it anywhere” Aaron huffs, slamming the drawer shut. The cot rattles from the force.

“Move over, and I’ll have a look,” Neil says, physically pushing Aaron, so he slides across the floor on his knees.

"Yeah fine, whatever," Aaron says flopping onto his bed and pulling his legs up and out of the way. Despite there being no difference, Aaron always seems much smaller than Andrew. The couple from earlier would probably also mistake him for a forgotten child. At least this time there would be something more true to their assumptions.

“Where is everyone?” Neil asks while he searches.

“Bee’s still over at the orphanage. I took her medical supplies from Abby earlier. It’s still as horrible as ever, but I’m trying to be helpful.” Aaron picks at the corner edge of his sheets. “I’m not so sure about the others. I remember something about a visit to the Trojans.” Neil nods, he knew a visit to the descendants from the original city was in the cards.

Neil’s hand curls along the wooden handle of Aaron’s razor, the blade metal of the blade is a dark silver colour.

“Do you want me to shave your head?” he asks. Aaron doesn’t move for a moment, and Neil considers repeating himself.

“Yes,” Aaron replies cutting himself off at adding anything more. Neil understands why and bumps his head into the back of Aaron’s shoulder while they walk. Aaron sits himself down on the edge of a bench and stills himself patiently. Neil walks over to a shelf where they keep their grooming supplies and searches for a towel and cream. Aaron hasn’t moved even an inch when he returns.

“Ready” Neil states, it’s mostly to make Aaron aware, so he doesn’t flinch. Neil wraps the towel around Aaron’s neck and pours cream onto his hand lathering it into blonde hair. He drags the blade slowly across Aaron’s head and watches the dampened hair fall to the ground. There’s not that much to begin with, but there’s still enough to cover the floor at their feet. When he’s finally done Aaron leans back into Neil’s chest, and Neil traces the mark inked just above Aaron’s ear. It’s a small wave embedded in a triangle. Neil ignores the soft pang in his heart. He sends Aaron to join the others who are still playing so he can clean up the hair.

He’s just finishing when Seth and Nicky begin to yell angrily at each other, and Neil turns his attention to them. Aaron has a hand on Nicky’s chest holding him back, and Ali is speaking in a low voice to Seth. Neil has no idea what they are saying, but he’s glad Seth seems to be listening to them. Neil doesn’t feel like intervening, so he selects a book to read while everyone sorts out whatever the problem is without him.

Aaron storms over and slams himself down next to Neil, making the table shake. Neil doesn’t bother looking up.

“I hate him,” Aaron says loudly. Neil can feel the irritation leaking off him in waves. Some of it is natural, most of it reeks of Seth.

“Aaron,” Neil says sharply.

“He’s such a fucking dickhead. I don’t give a shit. He’s worse than you are. I can’t stand being around him. Everything he says is just bullshit” Aaron rants.

“Aaron,” Neil repeats, putting his book aside. Aaron’s shoulders relax, and he slumps forward, curling his arms under him.

“I just hate it when he acts like I’m not a real person, or treats me like a toddler.” he huffs.

“Well, you are like four,” Neil jokes. Aaron tilts his head to glare at him.

“Not what I need to hear right now jackass,” the edges of Aaron’s mouth form into a weary smile before he drops it. “It still hurts okay?” he mutters.

“Okay,” Neil replies.


	3. OH CHILDREN DEAREST

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which I start to introduce the original characters, and Neil gets reintroduced to more than one person in his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to dedicate this chapter to thespacebetweenworlds, queenofseventeen, conniptionns and every other person that was a supportive cheerleader over on Discord. 
> 
> I do not know how to summarise any of these chapters so I guess it's a surprise? 
> 
> NOTE: there is a character death in this chapter and a kidnapping. Please see End Notes

It’s ticking over from one day to another when the door slams open hard enough to make everything shake. Betsy Dobson is The Foxhole’s mother hen. She’s a loving person. A patron goddess to children. She makes the hackles on the back of Neil’s neck raise every time she’s around. She reminds him too much of someone he loves, and it disagrees most wholly with him.

Betsy is carrying a small girl, dripping wet with tinged blue skin in her arms. The look in her eyes is wild as Dan and Ali rush to help her. They bring blankets and pillows and dry towels. Someone is sent to fetch warm food.

“What happened?” Wymack barks, even amongst all the chaos Neil notes that his hair is now a mix of pastel blue and aqua.

“They tried to drown her,” Betsy says, her voice choking. “They didn’t know she was a water witch, it’s the only reason she survived” Neil looks closer at the girl she doesn’t look like she’s breathing. Neil presses his hands against the girl’s chest manipulating the energy inside of himself to help him feel her heartbeat. He can feel a faint thumping beneath his fingertips and draws it towards him. He let’s go and steps away. He can’t look at her right now.

“You could ask Andrew for tips,” he tells Betsy. Betsy looks up at him sadly. Neil hates it, neither he nor Andrew needs her pity. Betsy loves Andrew as a son, and Andrew loves her as a mother. She’d cared for Andrew many times throughout his childhood. Neil isn’t jealousy exactly. He doesn’t believe what Betsy has done is enough, no matter how much she tries he doubts it ever will be. She and Neil have an understanding.

“Yes, I could,” Betsy says, rubbing a hand on the girl’s back. The girl coughs and opens her eyes. Staring around her in a panic, Neil can tell she’s searching for the door.

“It’s to your left” Neil says in a low voice leaning forward, so he’s by her ear, he makes sure he’s not close enough to startle her. He’s not an idiot.

“I know,” The girl murmurs. “Where I am I?” she asks.

“Have you ever been to The Foxhole Tavern?” Neil questions. The girl gives a nod, and then looks around her some more, she squints, and Neil can see the calculations happening in her head.

“This room is much bigger than the foxhole” She concludes. She folds her hands over her dragging the blanket she’s been provided with tight. Now that Neil has a better look at her she’s skinny to the point her skin is practically translucent.

“No, this part is the foxhole,” Betsy says from beside them. Betsy runs a hand through the girl’s still damp hair, calming her down. “Everything is going to be okay Robin,” Betsy says. Robin looks at her like she might be lying but nods anyway.

“We’ll get you an extra bed,” A hoarse voice says, and all three of them startle. Standing behind them is a tall woman with dark curly hair and skin the same colour as the wooden walls. Neil hadn’t even sensed Abby at all.

Betsy turns around and hugs her friend, Neil moves away to give them a moment, he notices Robin do the same.

“So, Water,” Neil says.

“Water,” Robin repeats, somewhat agreeably. Neil can’t help his snort of laughter. “Well good luck getting settled. I have some stuff to take care of”

Neil leaves Robin to her own devices and finds Matt, Dan, Renee, Ali and Seth who are having a discussion about the Trojans he wants to worm his way in on. He knows they’ve already talked to Wymack. Aaron and Nicky don’t particularly care and will accept any information given to them with a slight shrug. However, Neil doesn't appreciate feeling left out of the loop.

“Jeremy says the Trojans will stand with us against Riko,” Dan tells him once he’s joined them.

“Well yes, but you also said they wouldn’t start shit with any of the Ravens unless we started it first” Seth chimes in.

“I think that’s entirely fair,” Renee says, trying to smooth over Seth’s rising agitation before it affects everyone else, but Neil agrees with him.

“How very diplomatic of them.” Neil bites out, Matt shoots a worried glance his way, and Neil waves him off.

“Do you even trust anyone?” Renee asks him. Neil knows Renee and Jeremy Knox, the leader of the Trojans are close, but that doesn’t mean Neil isn’t allowed to have reservations. Jeremy isn’t the only Trojan, and as a whole, he knows they’re going to put their interests before the Foxes. Neil doesn’t blame them. He’d do the same. There’s a very short list of people that Neil would put before himself with no questions asked.

“I trust Andrew,” Neil replies with finality in his voice. There are several sighs from the others. Ali throws an arm around his neck and pulls him closer.

“See, our baby boy is just a romantic,” They say. Neil feels a soft blush creep across his cheeks. He shoves Ali away from him.

“Am not,” he mumbles embarrassed. Ali lets go of him, a shit-eating grin plastered over their face.

“Okay so back on topic, we do have support from the Trojans, and even if it’s dependent on us making the first move. It’s still better than nothing.” Matt says. Neil nods along with the others. He’s not going to alienate an ally. The Trojans are strong.

“We said we’d lend our support to Bearcats in the north as necessary over their land dispute with the Jackals, our most recent intel seems as though they have support of the Ravens and the Atlantic Court,” Renee pitches in “This coming both from the Trojans and what Wymack surmised from Neil and Andrew’s latest correspondence.”

“I thought we were shitty at the Bearcats still? About them trying to poach our witches out of contract?” Seth said.

“I think we can forgive them that one,” Ali tells him. “It stands though that if we need them, the Bearcats will stand with us against the Ravens if we face them head on over this Kevin business.” Neil tries not to think about it.

“Neil. Do you think you can do some extra reconnaissance next time you’re there? Get close to Riko” Dan questions. Neil feels a lurch in his stomach, but he pushes it down.

“What the fuck Danielle? Recon yes, of course, I do that literally every time I go. Thank you so much for noticing. You're the one that wanted me away from Riko for my safety ” Neil barks at her. Matt looks worriedly between the two of them.

“Seth, bud, can you ease up on Neil a little before he throttles my girlfriend?” Matt asks. Seth throws his hands up in annoyance and storms off.

“This isn’t Seth’s fault. I’m sorry.” Neil says he’s only half lying in his apology. From the way Dan looks him in the eye, he knows she can tell.

“No. Don’t be, that was fair, I know this is taking a long time and I don't particularly want you anywhere near Riko if it can be helped, we all want Kevin out of there, that's all,” Dan says.

"You think I don't want that?" Neil asks.

“Neil it was only a suggestion. You and Riko have a history. I understand that it is long and difficult and asking this of you is extremely dangerous. We'll discuss it later.” Dan says, standing up Renee copies her and the two of them leave. Matt observes Neil before following after them.

“Well, that went swimmingly” Ali jokes. Neil can’t help the small smile that plays on his lips. They have that ability. Neil always feels a little love around them. “Honestly Neil, you’re doing great, you’ll figure it out,” Neil isn’t sure what exactly they’re talking about, but Neil believes them.

 

Neil keeps mostly to himself over the next couple of days, doing whatever duties Abby or Wymack assigns him. He hangs out with Aaron and Nicky. He gets to know Robin a little better. He has dinner with Matt, Dan and Renee at one point and enjoys that he doesn’t feel like a fourth wheel on a date.

By the end of the month, Neil is restless. He wants to go out on a task. Wymack doesn’t like any of the foxes wandering around in the outside world for no reason. He’s extra reluctant to allow Neil a lot of roaming around because he’s a magnet for trouble. Neil is shocked the man lets him go on his jaunts to Evermore at all. Neil guesses it’s because he’s been doing it for years now and is the only one who can get in. Wymack doesn’t need to know how close Neil comes to getting caught every time he goes.

Neil is buried in his head, chasing thoughts around in circles, when Nicky makes himself at home next to him. Nicky hands him a bottle of whiskey from the bar. Neil crinkles up his nose at it.

“Spoilsport” Nicky says good-naturedly. Flopping down on Neil’s pillows, Neil follows him down.

“You know alcohol doesn’t affect me, and that smells disgusting,” Neil says. He could choose to allow himself to get drunk, but Neil isn’t one to partake in drinking anyway.

“Please just let me get wasted and pine about the cute boy that’s in the tavern right now.” Nicky whines.

“So what? Is this boy talk?” Neil queries. He’s never sure what to do in these situations. Nicky likes to talk about his feelings, and Neil doesn’t. Nicky lets out a loud moan, and Neil stares at him.

“Please don’t make noises like that while you’re lying in my den” Neil deadpans. Nicky moans again louder. Neil hits him with a pillow.

“It’s Erik” Nicky blurts out. Neil freezes and turns to Nicky.

“Who’s Erik?” Neil asks, his voice shaking.

“The cute boy, I saw his band." Nicky says.

"He’s at the bar? Erik as in the King’s Consort,” Neil asks. Nicky grins at him.

“Yes, now you're catching on," Nicky tells him.

“Why was he here?" Neil wonders out loud. King Ichirou wasn't known for sending members of his royal court to commoner taverns. Certainly not someone as high up as Erik Klose. “Take me to him,” Neil demands softly.

“Why, what are you plotting?” Nicky questions. Neil narrows his eyes at him.

“What makes you think I’m plotting anything, I just want to see,” Neil tells him. Nicky throws up his hands in defeat.

“Come on then,” Nicky says, pulling the both of them up. Neil follows Nicky out behind the bar. Katelyn flicks at them with a tablecloth. Neil spots the man in question before Nicky does.

“Get us a drink,” Neil tells him and slips away while he’s distracted. It only takes him a few seconds until he’s standing in front of Erik.

“Kleine?” He chokes out when he sees Neil. Neil pauses for a second before forcibly shoving the soldier against a wall. It’s more than easy because Erik offers up no resistance.

“Hello,” Neil says. Erik takes his free hand and pats Neil on the head.

“I missed you,” he says, Neil looks at the floor and grips his fingers into the lapel of Erik’s jacket.

“Why are you here ?” Neil asks, his world has narrowed itself to two people.

“I just came to eat, that's it,” Erik says. “I'm glad you're here.”

“I don’t care,” Neil whispers. Stepping away. A few people are twittering about their display, but luckily nobody does anything about it. Erik follows after Neil and wraps his whole body around Neil’s frame.

“You do care,” Erik says. There’s a loud cough from beside them, and Neil shoves Erik away.

“Good luck,” Neil tells Nicky. He walks away without looking anyone in the eye.

Neil crawls back into bed and finds his mind trailing back to thoughts of Andrew, he knows no one can see inside his mind and that he’s allowed fantasies about his long-time partner, but he’s still nervous and unsure about them. He thinks of Andrew stretched out on the bed. The large raven on his back moving with his muscles. He thinks of placing his mouth on it and licking. He thinks of Andrew pinning him to the bed and the feel of the weight on top of him. Neil swallows and screws his eyes shut. He curls his hand over his stomach. He wishes Andrew was here with him, missing him ached. He wonders if Andrew misses him in the same way.

 

Neil had never felt about anyone the way he does about Andrew. Neil knows this is a thing people say when they begin a new relationship, but he had nothing else to compare it to. He and Andrew had long since stopped been a passing moment in time and settled themselves into eternity. The witch is his one and only love. When they’d first met, they hadn’t gotten along. Jean had already been with the Ravens for several years, and Andrew had joined them apathetically, had no reason to seek somewhere else.  
By that time Neil had left for the Foxes, long since failing to feel any sense of obligation to Riko and his affiliates. He’d gone straight to Kevin’s father and never left. Andrew had trapped him in a spell on a visit to Jean, Neil had been terrified, overcome with worry that this strange man would turn him over to Riko. Andrew had only done it to see Neil’s reaction, and Neil had hit him square in the stomach with all of his energy and sent the witch flying the second Andrew had let up his magic. Andrew had let him go, and despite the tumultuous meeting the two of them had become friends and rapidly fallen into something more. Neil turns over and faces the wall. He pulls his covers up over his head. He doesn’t want Abby to watch him cry.

He wakes up to the sound of screaming. It takes him less than a second to orientate himself and pinpoint the noise. It’s coming from Aaron. He’s out of bed and halfway across the room when he notices Betsy and Seth have gotten up to find out about the commotion as well. He throws up a hand to stop them. The gesture is probably enough, but he forces his will into it to create a physical barrier.

Neil kneels down next to Aaron and places a hand against his forehead applying pressure until Aaron stops writhing around in his sleep. Hazel eyes stare up at Neil in confusion.

“Aaron are you okay?” Neil asks. The eyes glass over and go completely blank. Neil peers into them before tilting his head in understanding. “Hey Andrew,” Neil says softly. Tangling their fingers together and giving a light squeeze.

“Hello, Neil” Andrew breathes back, barely above a whisper.

“Is Aaron alright?” Neil asks, checking the body over for any signs of something being wrong. It might be occupied by Andrew’s mind right now, but it was still Aaron’s.

“He was having one of my nightmares” Andrew states plainly. Neil swallows nothing and nods. He understands why he’d take that experience away from Aaron for both of their sakes. Aaron had plenty of his own memories, but Andrew’s were still stronger. Neil leans down, hovering just above Andrew. Andrew wraps his arms around Neil tugging him down for a kiss on the cheek.

“You can go back now. I can take care of Aaron,” Neil says, Andrew stays for a few minutes after that, the two of them conversing silently with slight changes in facial expressions before slipping away. Aaron’s eyes fall closed, and he rests peacefully. Neil doesn’t bother sticking around. He sees no need. He walks back over to his den and slumps down exhausted.

Aaron sticks close to Nicky the next day, Neil thinks he understands. Having family nearby means something different to them then it does to Neil. He tries to ignore the fact he came from somewhere, as far as Neil is concerned he’s an orphan even if his father is alive somewhere and could probably appear and slaughter them at any time. Wymack sits with him over breakfast, drinking from a bottle of white rum. His hair is a muted red colour, similar to Neil’s own. Neil stares it uneasily, and Wymack lets it change to dark violet.

“Thanks,” Neil says. Wymack claps him on the back with a little more force than necessary. Neil understands it’s his way of being reassuring. They don’t talk a lot at breakfast, Neil gets the distinct feeling he’s being checked up on. Neil grabs both of their plates to take back into the Tavern to wash.

“I want you to go with Ali, Seth and Robin. If Robin is going to stay here, she’ll need some supplies” Wymack tells him.

“Sure,” Neil says, pretending like he’s not thrilled to be going out somewhere. Wymack gives him a curt nod and then disappears. Neil spots Robin and waves at her. The girl rushes over to him. She takes a look at the dishes Neil is still holding and dumps a load of water on them. They wind up clean, but Neil is now soaking. Robin’s eyes widen in terror.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to do that” Robin stammers. Robin has been looking better, her sleek black hair is styled into a bun on the top of her head, and she seems like she’s eaten a meal on this side of the century. She's wearing a soft pink dress, that Renee has made her. She reminds Neil of a ballerina. Neil hates the way she flinches at every mistake she makes.

“I’m irritated about being wet. I’m not mad at you,” Neil tells her. Robin pauses as she thinks it over for a while. Neil considers going and grabbing a towel, but ultimately he merely squeezes the moisture from his top and shakes himself dry. Small droplets land on Robin.’

“Okay, okay!” Robin exclaims with a squeal and a soft laugh of delight. Neil shakes again so more water lands on her. She darts away from him still laughing, and Neil chases her. Neil makes sure not to go at full speed because Robin, like everyone else, is very slow. They run around the room dodging around tables and other people. It’s a silly game, and Neil enjoys seeing Robin act like the child she is. Neil tackles Robin to Nicky’s bed purely because it’s the closest. The human yelps and pulls himself out of the way. Before playfully shoving at both of them to get off. Robin continues to smile instead of shying away.

Ali has come over, and they pick Robin up. The girl wraps her legs around their waste. Neil wonders if perhaps he should only ask Andrew for some tips on water magic instead of pushing for a full apprenticeship. Robin has a home here.

“Hello, my muffin,” Ali says lowly. Neil can feel the love radiating actively through the air. He barely controls himself from nuzzling against Ali’s side for affection. Robin buries her face in Ali’s neck. Nicky curls his arms around Neil’s chest, assumably because he’s feeling Ali’s power too. It could also just be because Nicky likes hugs.

“Hey Neil, I hear you’re going to come out with us. We’re going to leave in a second so you might want to get changed and grab any supplies you want” Ali tells him.

“What kind of supplies would I possibly need?” Neil asks. Ali rolls their eyes at him before whisking Robin away. Nicky hugs Neil a little longer. He lets go before Neil feels the need to remove him. Nicky can be oblivious and self-centred, but he tries his best to notice Neil’s cues and abide by his boundaries, even if it did take Neil socking him in the face a few times for him to catch on.

Neil changes his tunic and stuff a few things in his rucksack before joining the others. Him and Seth fist bump and he feels the ripple of madness take over his body. Neil frowns and shakes it off. Seth’s shoulders slump slightly, and Neil realises for the first time how much the Manaie must hate going outside The Foxhole for long periods of time. His abilities are ideal for battle, a way to agitate and confuse the enemy, on an afternoon stroll with his friends it would be hell. Neil pinches the side of Seth’s neck and dashes off. Seth yells annoyed and chases after him. When Seth catches up, he punches Neil hard in the arm.

“You’re a little piece of shit” Seth scowls at him. A bystander looks at the two of them in shock. She looks like she’s going to say something.

“Oh, what is it, Seth? Are you feeling sorry for yourself? You’re not so big and scary. You’re just pathetic” Neil taunts. The madness takes over in waves. All of Seth’s energy focuses on him. Neil steadies himself and takes a swipe at Seth’s chest.

“Do you act like this because daddy never loved you, poor innocent little Nathaniel, grow the fuck up already.” Seth snarls. The two of them rush at each other kicking and biting and screaming obscenities. People on the street are edging away from them. Neil’s sure he sees a couple of people exchange money on the outcome of the fight. Eventually, the savage unbridled anger calms to a dull throb.

“Thank you. Are we okay?” Seth asks, sitting up from the dirt and helping Neil up. Neil dusts himself off.

“What’s my name,” Neil demands.

“Neil,” Seth replies. Neil squeezes him on the arm, and Seth winces.

“Yes, we’re okay” Neil replies. They look around trying to find Ali and Robin. The two of them are eating from a bag of sweets. Neil holds his hand out and is rewarded with a single red one.

“Good show,” Ali says, a wide grin on their face. Seth leans in to kiss them.

“Gross,” Robin says crinkling up her nose. She shoves more candy into her mouth then will fit and puffs her cheeks in and out as she sucks on them. She swings her legs back and forth kicking her heels against the fence she’s sitting on.

“Okay, can we go and get the shit we need now?” Seth asks. Robin says something incomprehensible with her mouth stuffed full. The whole scene feels like it’s part of a storybook tale, as though they’re the only ones in the entire world. Neil looks around him and realises that isn’t a metaphor. The four of them indeed are the only ones out on the street. Neil is overcome by dread.

“We have to go. It isn’t safe.” Neil says. His eyes are darting around trying to asses the danger. The only problem is there’s nothing nearby. Neil can’t see anything to fight even though the feeling of an enemy is strong. He knows the others feel it as well because Ali and Seth form a protective barrier around Robin and the girl lets out a silent sob of fear. Neil manipulates the energy around his friends to strengthen their shielding. He can feel his power draining from his body, he stumbles backwards.

“Hello Pet,” A voice says in his ear. Neil tries to keep his heartbeat steady. Lola Malcolm, a person of his father’s inner circle, appears beside him. Usually, she would be accompanied by her brother Romero. A knife pressed against his ribs stops him questioning Romero’s whereabouts. Neil notes that it’s a nice looking knife, very ornamental and in Lola’s hands very deadly. Neil tries to step away from her and Lola grabs him by the throat. She seems to be paying no attention to the others. Neil swipes at her weakly.

“Now, now little one. Stay awake we’re going to have some fun” Lola whispers in his ear.

Neil keeps his eyes open, keeps his body as relaxed as he can so he doesn’t shake. Lola keeps dragging her blade against his skin. She hasn’t cut him anywhere, yet if he breathes any deeper, he knows it’ll start to slice through the flesh. Neil might hate knives, but he knows too much about them. If he let himself, he could rival Lola’s talents.

Lola drags him into the void, and they begin walking along it. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. You’re not supposed to stay in The Void, just travel through it. Neil knows his father and his people have made themselves at home in the heart of it. Lola removes her blade and trails her fingers along his sides instead. Somehow her fingertips are sharper.

“You grew up nicely” She mutters under her breath. Neil can’t help the shiver that runs down his spine. Lola makes a pleased noise. Neil hates it. Neil scans for an opportunity to get away. He can’t just run. Lola would be just as fast as him. No. Neil knows he’ll have to kill her before she takes him to his father, Neil knows his chances of surviving that meeting are slim. Neil starts to feel his energy rebuilding within his body, he allows a tiny amount at a time to sit just below the surface of his skin. He’s meticulous about it. Any miscalculations and she’ll notice. Neil keeps his breathing shallow. His chest barely rises and falls. If he’s not careful he’ll cause himself to implode, his energy is designed to flow evenly within his body. Not be condensed in one spot.

Neil stops bracing himself. Several things happen at once. Lola runs into him. Neil grabs Lola’s knife. Neil turns towards her. Lola grabs at him. Lola yanks the knife away. Neil explodes all of his energy at her. Lola disintegrates. Neil collapses.

Neil can’t tell how much time has passed when he comes to completely. There had been some foggy fading in and out. It can’t have been that long because no one has come to check out the commotion. Perhaps they were further away from his father’s skulk then he thought. Neil pushes himself firstly to his knees, pausing to dry retch before he clambers all the way up. Neil wipes his mouth. It tastes like blood. The only sign of Lola is the ash in front of him. He laughs out loud and wonders how he was ever afraid of her. Neil picks up a handful of what’s left and crumbles it in his fingers.

“Fuck you,” he tells her. Neil dusts his hands off and walks directly out of the void.

He doesn’t recognise where he is when he steps back, somewhere deep in the city by the looks of it. Neil knows he needs to rest, so he ducks into the nearest alleyway and curls up behind a dumpster. Although it’s hardly even close to the worst place he’s slept in, he longs for his den and a well-cooked tavern meal. Neil finds a filthy blanket left behind by someone under the garbage bags. He shakes it out and sniffs it wearily before wrapping it around himself. He isn’t going to stay here for that long. It’s too dangerous.

“Hey Fox-boy,” a voice says, and Neil stands up in a hurry ready to run. He shouldn’t have stopped at all. It was a stupid plan. Neil looks for the source of the voice. He finds a girl, staring at him. Her dark hair is braided, reaching down the length of her back. There’s a string of ravens up her arms.

“Hey Brady,” Neil huffs, he doesn’t relax his stance at all. “The marks are new,” Brady rolls her eyes at him.

“Oh come on Neil, they aren’t that bad” Neil can’t help the growl that forms in his throat, but it’s mostly playful. Brady sits down next to him.

“You look like trash,” Brady says.

“Yeah.” Neil agrees.

“I can take you up to The Nest,” Brady says, Neil spins around and glares at her. “Riko’s gone to visit the King” she continues. Neil raises a questioning eyebrow at that. Ichirou had disowned Riko years ago. The reasons weren’t general knowledge, people had mostly forgotten about the Moriyama family line by this point. Neil was happy enough for it to stay that way. Ichirou is a just ruler, even if he isn’t always kind. Neil shuddered at the thought of Riko cosying up to Ichirou, he knows the King isn’t corruptible. It still worries him.

“Okay, I’ll come with you,” Neil says after some time, Brady is staring at her hands and jumps slightly when he speaks up. She collects herself promptly, wiping her hands on her skirt.

“I’ll give you a boost, and you can step through the warding,” she says, grabbing hold of Neil’s shoulder. The air around them swirls, and Neil uses the extra energy to travel them where they need to go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lola kidnaps Neil - Neil kills her.


	4. THE BEAST IN MY SOUL MUST NEVER BE TAMED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A POV switch?
> 
> there's a conspiracy to commit murder *nudge nudge*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consistency is a lie. 
> 
> NOTE: Mild Sexual Content. see End Notes
> 
> Please, please, please if you come across something you find triggering I am so sorry but let me know so I can make a note of it. Or even if you see something that you think might affect other people. I want people to be safe reading.

“There isn’t another way” Thea huffs, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. Andrew pinches the bridge of his nose.

“I know that,” he tells her. There’s a sharp knock on the door. Jean gets up from where he’s stretched out on Andrew’s bed to answer it.

“Hey ‘Drew,” Neil says from the other side. Andrew wants to hit him, kiss him, and then hit him again.

“What are you doing here?” he demands. Getting up and crossing the room in two strides. He grabs Neil by the collar and yanks him in. Brady follows after calmly and takes up residence next to her sister.

“He needs a place to rest, and Riko isn’t around, so I figured” Brady trails off, but she’s made her point.

“That doesn’t mean Riko won’t come back” Jean points out. He’s just stating facts, Andrew wishes he wouldn’t.

“Well I’m here now,” Neil says, lowering himself carefully onto Andrew’s bed. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“We’re planning on murdering Riko,” Jean says. Andrew glares at him. He loves his familiar, right now he’s not sure that’s enough to stop him drowning the cat in the bathtub. Neil reacts with a hum and lies down, his hands folded over his stomach.

“No. We’re planning on assassinating Riko” Thea pitches in, Andrew dislikes the lack of control he has over this conversation. He conjures a small rain cloud in his hand and relaxes, and the droplets cover his palm. It’s a basic parlour trick, one of Andrew’s childhood favourites.

“How do you plan on doing that?” Neil asks, he’s turned onto his side and is propping himself up on his elbow. There’s a twinkle of excitement in his eye. Andrew’s gut turns uncomfortably.

“Your teleportation and your ability with a knife,” he replies blankly. Neil’s face fills with terror. Andrew moves to place a hand on the back of his neck. It’s a pressure he likes.

“No.” Neil whispers and Andrew freezes. “I won’t do it. I will not,” Neil says sharply. Andrew slides into the bed next to him. Thea and Brady are smart enough to leave, and Jean turns away.

“Neil, I’m sorry,” Andrew says, his mouth on the back of Neil’s neck. Neil presses himself against Andrew as though he’s trying to get Andrew’s body to swallow his own. His hands curl into the sheets as he clings to them. Andrew allows his hands to slide under Neil’s top, to feel the heat of his skin. There’s a click from the door as Jean leaves too. Neil shifts so he’s facing Andrew.

“I know we have to talk about this, but I want to forget it for a while” Neil murmurs, speaking into Andrew’s mouth as he presses their lips together. Andrew digs his nails softly into Neil’s back and drags the boy on top of him. Neil leans down and kisses along Andrew’s neck, sucking gently as he goes. Neil sits up, straddling Andrew’s hips with a soft smile on his face. Andrew can feel Neil through the thin material of his pants. Andrew sits up and grasps the bottom of Neil’s shirt, pulling it up over his boyfriend’s head. He slides his hands along Neil’s sides. Neil pushes down onto Andrew and Andrew lets him before lifting him up and manoeuvring him onto the bed.

“What do you want?” Andrew asks. Neil breathes heavily, his gaze glassy and content. He stretches out and places his hands behind his head.

“Take care of me” he replies. Andrew kisses him firmly.

“Okay baby,” Andrew tells him and helps him out of his pants. Neil is breathtakingly beautiful, lying naked in Andrew’s bed. Andrew takes the time to admire him, and it makes Neil squirm. Andrew places his mouth over one of Neil's nipples and licks at it. Neil's fingers curl cautiously into Andrew's long hair.

"Does that feel okay? do you like that?" Andrew asks. Neil nods, his skin flushed with nerves.

"Yes, I like it," Neil says, his voice low, yet confident.

"That's good, you're good, put your hands on the headboard and keep them there," Andrew tells Neil. Neil obeys, his eyes staring at Andrew intensely.

Andrew presses his teeth into the flesh of Neil’s inner thigh. It elicits a moan from above him, so he does it a second and third time, each a little harder than the last. He licks his tongue over them, dragging the sensation out. He places a hand on Neil’s hip to hold him steady as he swallows Neil’s cock. There’s a softness to it, but that disappears as Andrew runs his tongue along the length. Neil is making small noises at every movement Andrew makes. Andrew uses his thumb to rub gentle circles into Neil’s skin. Neil gets louder and more urgent. Andrew knows it’s coming, but he never quite gets used to the taste, Neil’s body relaxes, and Andrew licks the last of Neil’s seed from his lips.

“Was that okay?” he asks, dropping a soft kiss to the inside of Neil’s thigh. Neil tugs him until Andrew is lying on top of him and strokes circles into Andrew's back.

“It was nice,” Neil murmurs. He sounds satisfied, Andrew is content with the outcome. Neil makes a low noise in his throat something between a growl and a purr. Andrew looks up at him.

“I’m okay,” Andrew says, answering Neil’s unasked question. Neil nods and closes his eyes, Andrew knows he's feeling comfort from the weight on top of him.

"I'm scared 'Drew," Neil says, his words loose and sleepy.

"I've got you, in the end, I've always got you," Andrew tells him.

"I trust you," Neil replies. Andrew's hand shoots instinctively to the necklace wrapped high around his neck. A gift from Neil on their first anniversary.

Andrew kisses at Neil's neck and strokes his hair until he falls asleep. Andrew stares at his boyfriend for a while before tucking him into the bed and leaving.

Jean is barely two steps outside the door when he opens it, and Andrew glares at him. Jean twitches and then breaks into a grin, wrapping his body around the back of Andrew’s shoulders and plastering himself there.

“Is he okay?” Jean asks concerned. Andrew runs a thumb across the back of Jean’s hand. There’s a jolt of energy, and Jean detaches himself.

“He will be, he just needs to sleep, so we’re going to leave him alone,” Andrew says. Jean paces in front of the door for a few seconds before returning to Andrew’s side. The witch tangles his power to his familiar’s and puts upwards.  
The wards are of Andrew’s own design. Riko had asked him about them once, angry that he couldn’t come into the room. Andrew had stared at him with bored eyes and told Riko he liked his privacy. It hadn’t ended well, Andrew tries not to think about it, and he keeps on putting the wards up regardless.

Andrew marches himself to the dining hall with Jean at his heels. When they enter the room is a hive of activity, there are seats next to two witches named Jessica and Boris, Andrew isn’t a particular fan. Jean gets along well with Jessica, so it’s as good a place as any. Boris pauses his sentence when Andrew sits down next to him. Andrew notices the way he glances at him cautiously.

“No, please carry on,” he tells Boris. Boris, a young man of nineteen, slender build and shaved black hair, shakes his head. Andrew rolls his eyes and conjures two plates stacked with food. He ignores the rest of them as he devours his meal. Jean and Jessica have started a friendly enough debate about plants. Boris hasn’t stopped looking at him the whole time.

“Boris, A private word,” Andrew hisses, and the man startles. He composes himself quickly and stands. He jerks his head towards the door at the side of the hall and starts walking. Andrew follows after him. Once they’re in the corridor, he rounds on Boris and shoves him against the wall. Boris squirms under his grip.  
“I didn’t do anything I swear” Boris gulps, his eyes darting back and forth. Andrew steps back a little and folds his arms.

“Okay, you didn’t do anything. Why are you acting like a sketchy piece of shit?” Andrew asks. Boris runs a hand back and forth across his head. He slumps further into the wall.  
“You can’t just forget it?” He pleads. He looks much younger than he is, a portrait of innocence. It makes Andrew sick to his stomach.

“You tell me,” Andrew says calmly. Boris twitches a little. He’s giving off energy spikes all over the place. Andrew can literally taste his fear in the air, a bead of sweat trails itself down Boris’ skin.

“Don’t tell Riko” Boris whispers. Andrew has to strain to hear his voice. “Don’t tell Riko, Kevin spoke to me” Andrew puts on a mask of indifference.

“What did Kevin say?” Andrew asks. Boris’ face goes completely blank, and his eyes cloud to a milky white.

“Muninn is dead. Muninn is dead. Muninn is dead.” The boy doesn’t seem like he’s going to stop repeating himself, so Andrew places his hand on Boris’ forehead and casts a spell that knocks him out. Boris slumps to the floor. Andrew steps over the body and walks back to the table.

“Jean we should be leaving, Jessica, Boris is passed out in the hallway. I suggest you deal with that.” Andrew says, grabbing Jean by the elbow and hauling him upright. Jessica glares at him angrily. He feels the swirling of dirt beneath his feet. Andrew looks at it and begins to easily pull water towards him. A few people titter irritably as their drinks rise from their cups. Jessica drops her magic and rushes out. Andrew does the same.

Neil is dressed and sitting up when they get back. His hands curled around a mug of warm tea. Which means the idiot has been wandering around unsupervised. He smiles at them when they enter, placing his drink down next to him.

“Can we talk about it now?” Neil questions. Andrew feels a sense of relief he hadn’t realised he needed. Neil must notice because he purses his lips briefly. “Right. I understand that getting rid of Riko is important. It’s what we all want, to be free of the Ravens -”

“- I don’t want to be free of the Ravens. I want to be free of Riko.” Jean pitches in. “and of Riko’s followers.” he concludes.

“Right. How many Raven’s are directly loyal to Riko. Who would retaliate if Riko died?” Neil asks, ever the strategist.

“Eight people definitely, two are indifferent five are unaccounted for” Andrew ticks off. Neil nods before leaning back and closing his eyes.

“I’ll have to think about the odds. Come up with a plan. You know what you’re asking me to do.” Neil says. Andrew understands Neil’s predicament. They can’t afford to be choosy anymore. Neil is the only person with the abilities that they need.

"We're losing Kevin," Andrew says. Neil glares at him angrily.

"We're always losing Kevin. We have been for years. I hate it. You hate it. I didn't think you'd want me to destroy myself over it. I'm reckless, not suicidal." Neil spits at him. "I'm happy for Riko to die. I'd even be glad to kill him. Don't make me do it like this." Neil whispers desperately. Andrew can't stand it.

"I don't want you to get killed. You have to know that." Neil nods. Not quite meeting Andrew's eyes. “I’ll have Jean escort you out,” Andrew says. He doesn’t want Neil to go. He hopes Neil can see that. Neil steps forward and kisses Andrew on the cheek before stroking the imprint of his lips with his thumb.

“Don’t think we aren’t discussing things later,” Neil tells him.

Jean is back within ten minutes. He raps his knuckles on the top of Andrew’s head, and the witch hisses at him. Jean lets out a soft laugh that dies down quickly.

“I don’t like any of this,” Jean says. Andrew lets out a non-committal noise. He’s not a fan of this either. “Do you think Neil is really okay killing Riko?” Jean asks.

“He said he would be,” Andrew replies. Jean let’s out a frustrated sigh.

“Yes, and Neil’s never lied in his life,” he says.

“Neil will be fine,” Andrew replies. Jean sits down at the edge of his bed, his hands tangling around themselves as he fidgets anxiously.

“Yes, that’s precisely what I’m worried about Drew,” Jean says. Andrew walks over and presses his knees against Jean’s. He curls his fingers into Jean’s hair. Jean gives him a filthy look before relaxing. “I don’t like him getting hurt,” Jean mutters.

“That’s because you like having the trouble magnet around.” Andrew points out blankly. Jean rolls his eyes and pulls away from Andrew’s touch, batting at Andrew’s hand.

“Friends are in short supply around here,” Jean replies, leaning back to stretch out and then to curl into himself in the middle of his bed.

“Would you rather not be a raven, after we destroy Riko we could leave,” Andrew says, his voice steady. Jean pillows his face in his arms and stays there for a long while.

“We could leave anytime. We don’t have to stay for Kevin. I want to stay for us.” Jean admits. Andrew thought as much. His familiar is easy to read, Jean and Neil are similar in that way.

“Then we stay.” Andrew finalises, leaving Jean’s side to flop onto his own bed. Andrew yawns and he realises it must be much later than he thinks. He doesn’t feel a need to say goodnight, he just undresses and slides under the covers of his bed.

“Andrew,” Jean whispers, Andrew doesn’t turn to face him. “Neil gave me something for you.” Andrew holds out a hand, and Jean drops a piece of paper into it.

Andrew recognises the writing because it's nearly identical to his own. The significant difference is the direction of the slant. Andrew tucks it under his pillow, promising himself he'll read it tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andrew gives Neil a blowjob.


	5. I COULD SLIP INTO OBLIVION (WATER FLOW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang continues to plot an assassination, Andrew goes to visit Neil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I'm going to leave the story here for tonight/today and hopefully be able to get the rest tomorrow morning for me (or possibly even after work)
> 
> NOTE: Riko  
> NOTE: Implied Abuse/Talk Of Abuse.

“A water witch?” Andrew asks surprised. He’s never met someone else with his abilities, the control of water is the rarest of elemental magic. He doesn’t think this makes him unique. It’s just a fact of life.

“Her name is Robin. Neil mentioned it” Jean says.

“Interesting, I’m not sure I’d have any specifics to teach her though. The Foxes have witches of their own,” Andrew replies. Renee Walker is a perfectly capable witch, an elemental like himself and Air and Water translate well enough to each other.

“I think it was more a few basic tips they were after, not a full training regime,” Jean says. Andrew hums under his breath.

“Well, of course, they’re gearing her up to be a Fox Witch, not a Raven. They do tend to be a little more relaxed about these things.”

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Jean replies, opening his favourite book to the middle and losing himself in it. Andrew doesn’t care about the abrupt stop to the conversation, both of them operate similarly. Andrew swings his legs underneath him and stands up.

Riko is due back that evening. Andrew thinks irritably, rubbing at his jaw. He’s been clenching it more lately. The Head witch has finally lost it completely, any influence Kevin had managed to keep over these past years had finally broken. Andrew can’t stand to see his friend be destroyed from the inside out. There was nothing left behind Kevin’s eyes that Andrew recognised. According to Boris a part of the familiar was dead, irreversible, unsalvageable, gone. Andrew couldn’t help the feeling of failure buried deep in his flesh. He knows the only way out of this now is with Riko’s death, something they should have done years ago, damn the consequences. Andrew leans forward, pressing his palms into his thighs. Water collapses onto him, and the witch revels in being soaking wet. He doesn’t bother shaking himself off as he stands. Jean follows him as they march through the corridor. Other witches and familiars scamper out of the way. Andrew bangs on Thea’s door and steps through uninvited when she throws the door open.

“Yes hello Andrew, good to see you,” Brady says sarcastically from her bed without looking up from a book she’s reading.

“We’re going through with it then?” Thea says quietly, her voice is steady.

“Yes,” Andrew replies. Suddenly they aren’t part of Riko’s coven. They are soldiers in a war set out to destroy him. Soldiers with nothing to lose. Brady, Jean and Thea all give nods of agreement, and Andrew sinks against the wall, playing it off as a casual lean.

“Brady, can you find out about Riko’s meeting with the King?” Thea asks. Brady stretches her hands over her head and blinks a few times.

“It shouldn’t be a problem, I just need someone to get me close to him,” she tells them.

“Thea, are you and Kevin still a thing?” Andrew questions. Thea bristles and turns away from him slightly. Her hands curl into fists before relaxing, as though she’s squeezing a ball of air.

“It’s hard to be a thing when your boyfriend no longer seems to know you exist,” Thea hisses. Jean lays a hand on her shoulder. Andrew knows they think he’s done something wrong by bringing it up. He’s sick of monsters lurking in the shadows of his life that he can’t destroy. Andrew is a man of his word, and it’s time to burn the castle down. Andrew wraps his hands into Thea’s shirt and drags her to him.

“Use that anger,” He tells her, he doesn’t break eye contact as she snarls at him. He sees her raise her hand out of the corner of his eye. He doesn’t stop the strike across his face. He shoves her away and leaves, slamming the door behind him. They could figure themselves out.

Andrew’s body shakes when he reaches his own room, he blinks back an ocean of emotion and kneels on the floor. His hands fold underneath him, and he sends his mind out searching, he can feel his eyes roll into the back of his mind, and his body hit the floor as he finds Aaron.

“Hello brother,” Aaron says. He sounds weary and concerned. Andrew concentrates on being able to see Aaron’s surroundings. His doppelganger is picking at a plate of food, staring at that waitress Andrew can’t remember the name of if Andrew was that way inclined he’s begrudgingly admit she’s averagely pretty. Aaron’s eyes snap away from her and Neil comes into view. He’s tripping over his own feet, and a plate of food clutters to the floor. Neil worries his teeth into his lip, his shoulders stiffening unbearably.

“What’s wrong with the idiot?” Andrew asks, watching as Neil rights himself and mutters how he’s fine in a low voice.

“He won’t talk to us, something happened with some woman,” Aaron replies. Andrew pushes himself up, causing Aaron’s body to stand. He walks over to Neil and stands beside him.

“That’s enough,” Andrew says quietly. Neil doesn’t look at him.

“I love you Andrew, but shut the fuck up,” Neil hisses under his breath. Andrew knocks his hand into Neil’s, and when his boyfriend doesn’t flinch, he tangles their fingers together.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Andrew demands. Neil shoots a look around. There are not enough people around for him to be needed. He speaks to the waitress for a minute before coming back to Andrew.

“Not here, outside,” Neil says, dragging Andrew by the sleeve. The air in the street feels stale and dusty. “I was nearly taken to my father,” Neil admits.

"Why didn't you tell me before," Andrew demands.

"It didn't seem like the right time," Neil says, shrugging his shoulders. Andrew can feel his heartbeat quicken in his own chest. He needs to be near Neil. He wants to touch him without the proxy. Andrew feels himself jolt back to his own body and dry retches a few times, shaking helplessly. Andrew lies down on the cold stone floor and presses his cheek against it grounding himself. There’s a bang on the door, and he gets up to let Jean in.

“Are you fucking kidding” Jean snarls at him, Andrew stares at him blankly before stepping around him and walking out. Jean marches after him. “Drew, Andrew, you can’t just…” Jean trails off with a disheartened sigh. Andrew wordlessly holds out his hand, and Jean latches on to it. Jean’s fingers feel warm against his, they’re longer and bonier than Neil’s, and his nails dig slightly into Andrew’s skin. “I’m coming with you where ever you go,” Jean says.

“I know, I know you are,” Andrew says. They’re nearly at the gate when a voice yells out to them.

“Minyard, where are you going?” Andrew rounds on Riko and stares at him, folding his arms across his chest. There’s a flutter of anger across Riko’s face.

“I’m taking Jean for a walk. He’s getting restless.” Andrew replies. He looks passed Riko and shrugs. “I’m sure there’s someone else who’s time you can waste,” Andrew says, and the anger lasts a little longer this time. Andrew places a hand on Jean’s back and steers him away.

“I could have Kevin kill both of you” Riko calls after them. Andrew can feel Jean’s muscles tense under his fingertips. He ignores Riko’s threats. They aren’t important at the moment.

The further they get from Evermore the more Jean relaxes. The air outside feels crisp, but it isn’t freezing. Andrew doesn’t take in his surroundings. He knows he’ll remember everything anyway. They head east towards the river and walk along the bank southwards.

“Riko won’t be happy when we get back,” Jean says, staring out over the water. Andrew observes him, feeling around for his familiar’s emotions. Jean turns to face him. “But I supposed Riko is never happy, so that’s a given.” Jean continues. He sounds tired, and there’s underlying anger in his voice. Andrew squeezes his shoulder.

“You won’t have to put up with him for much longer,” Andrew tells him. Jean shrugs him off and quickens his pace slightly. Andrew changes his stride accordingly, but he doesn’t try to touch Jean again.

“Is it bad I sometimes wish he’d take you?” Jean asks quietly. Andrew privately wishes the same thing. He pauses and a few moments later Jean notices and walks back to him. “Drew? Are you okay?” Jean questions, peering directly into Andrew’s eyes. Andrew scowls and looks away from him.

“Yeah, it’s nothing. Just, look do you want to shift right now because I can carry you and it’ll be faster.” Andrew says. Jean raises an eyebrow, and then Andrew is faced with a mostly black cat with a small white mark on its cheek. Jean meows at him. Andrew scoops the cat up and cradles him in his arms. Jean wriggles for a moment and settles himself in. Andrew relaxes as he feels his familiar settle against him, which was his unspoken plan all along. As Andrew gets closer to where he roughly knows the Foxhole to be, the streets start to emit a horrible stench. Andrew moves to cover his face with a hand. He’ll get through it soon, he keeps his head low and marches on, the sewage streets aren’t somewhere anyone wants to spend too much time in. People say it’s because of the smell. It’s more than that though. People don’t want to look upon the worst of the poverty-stricken. Andrew sees a girl, her skin pulled taut from dehydration and he fills her cup as best he can. The water is murky, but she drinks it regardless. Jean scratches unhappily at his arm, and he hurries on. A few more streets and he reaches the foxhole tavern. The place doesn’t look like much, a smallish place with an orange fox paw painted on the sign. It’s lively enough though, offering travellers warmth and comfort. When he pushes the door open, the barmaid startles in surprise, giving him a funny look. He lets Jean out of his arms and the cat pads around Andrew’s legs.

“Yes Hello, Could you fetch me, Neil?” He asks her. She blinks at him a couple of times before poking her head into what he assumes is the kitchen. A tall, dark-skinned fire witch Andrew recognises as Matt Boyd comes out to greet him. Boyd shakes his hand vigorously, and Andrew resists the urge to massage his aching shoulder.

“Hey man, how’s it going?” Boyd asks. Andrew knows Neil likes him, so he bites his tongue to stop from making a sarcastic remark.

“I’m good, just came to see Neil,” Andrew says conversationally, he’s getting agitated. Boyd rubs a hand across the back of his neck.

“Oh yeah, of course, I’ll go get him for you, wait here. Katelyn can make you a drink.” Boyd gestures towards the barmaid from before, and she waves at him. Andrew takes a stool in front of the bar. Katelyn pours him a glass of whiskey over ice, and he tilts it at her appreciatively. Neil appears followed by Andrew's cousin. Nicky gives him a wave, but he doesn't throw himself at Andrew which Andrew personally thinks is a vast improvement. Andrew reaches his hand out and strokes Neil's face, his boyfriend leans into his touch and makes a soft sound. Jean purrs from somewhere beneath them, and Neil picks him up. Andrew reaches out and shakes Nicky's hand. He squeezes his cousin's hand briefly.

“Why are you here?” Neil asks. There are several answers Andrew can give. As always he settles on the most truthful.

“I was worried,” he says. Neil tries to hide his grin. Andrew scowls at him.

“You like me,” Neil teases. Andrew stares at him disbelievingly.

“I should hope so.” Andrew retorts. He looks around the bar, several patrons have taken a shine to Jean who has jumped out of Neil's arms and is trotting around the place. Nicky is talking to a man with hair a darker blonde than Andrew's own and a neatly trimmed beard. His skin tanned and worn from sun exposure. The man’s eyes crinkle as he smiles. On his sleeve is a symbol Andrew recognises instantly.

“Do you tend to have the King’s consort in the bar?” Andrew questions. Neil follows Andrew's gaze.

“Who? Erik?” Neil asks, he doesn't sound overly surprised, not that he should be. They both know exactly who Erik is. Andrew pushes his tongue to the roof of his mouth and makes a clicking sound of distaste.

“Yes. Erik.” Andrew says mockingly. Neil mutters something under his breath and nudges into Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew keeps his eyes on Erik and Nicky, watching while his cousin has a robust and steady hand run through his hair. Nicky beams at the other man. Andrew wonders if that’s how he and Neil look to outsiders, completely lost in their own world. Andrew feels another nudge, and he realises Neil has spoken to him. Andrew turns to his boyfriend, his eyebrows raised.

“Erik is a good person. He’s good for Nicky,” Neil says.

"Well, I suppose you'd know," Andrew says. Neil leans his body against Andrew.

"I would," Neil agrees. Andrew nods, he can see it when he looks at them. However, he’s worried about the politics of it all. As far as Andrew is concerned the whole universe is full of conniving pieces of shit and nobody is to be trusted. The door to the tavern swings open with enough force that several people turn to see what the commotion is. A woman is standing there, silhouetted by the dull light of a faded day. It makes her look like the goddess that she is, someone Andrew revers most holy. He feels Neil tense beside him briefly. He squeezes the fox’s arm and then walks forward, purposefully opening his arms.

“Hello Betsy,” Andrew murmurs as he’s embraced. Bee takes a step back from him and looks him up and down. Andrew flushes under her gaze and turns away.

“I came as soon as I heard you were visiting us.” Bee’s tone is even and calm, but Andrew can sense her worry. Andrew manages a warm enough smile.

“Everything is fine, I just,” Andrew tilts his head towards Neil. “You know?” Bee places a gentle hand on Andrew’s shoulder, a gesture that from most people would leave him squirming to get away.

“Ah yes, young love.” Bee comments jovially, clearly laughing at him. Andrew pulls a face at her. He’s not that young, she’s just embarrassing. Bee must sense his discomfort because her face becomes more solemn. She looks at him again, this time she doesn’t just look at him. She looks through him. It’s sometime before she speaks again. “Oh, Andrew, sweetheart” she murmurs.

“Everything’s okay, Mom,” Andrew replies, trying to make her feel better. He doesn’t think that it works. She looks at him disappointedly, before kissing him on his temple and gently shoving him towards Neil.

“What was that about?” Neil demands to know. Andrew slides into a bar stool and gestures Katelyn to bring him another drink. His hands wrap tightly around the cup.

“I’m fine,” Andrew says.

“That’s my line.” Neil retorts. “Seriously ‘Drew why are you here?” Andrew rubs tiredly at the bridge of his nose.

“Because I love you, and I need this all to be over, but I also know we’re going to go through hell and back,” Andrew says. Neil is silent for a moment. He picks up Jean who has wandered back over to them and strokes a hand through his fur.

“I’ve been through worse than hell,” Neil replies. Andrew folds his lips inwards and rolls them across his teeth. He takes a large sip of his drink and stands up, taking Jean from Neil. He leans forward and kisses Neil harshly.

“I’d rather you didn’t suffer more than you have to,” Andrew says. He begins to walk away.

“You can’t always get what you want,” Neil calls after him. Andrew does not cry. No matter how much he wants to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Honestly, Riko is his own warning. 
> 
> Implied Abuse/Talk Of Abuse - Mentions of Kevin's abuse and abuse within the Ravens in general including Jean in particular. 
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments if you are enjoying it. Hopefully, the editing isn't as horrendous as I think it is and y'all are having a good time. Like I said please let me know if there's anything I should be marking in my notes.


	6. I HAD A HEART THAT DON’T SPEAK TO ME ANYMORE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ichirou comes to the Tavern, there's some Neil and Nicky bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! If you're still here I'm glad you are
> 
> NOTE: Misnaming see End Notes
> 
> NOTE: Mentions of abuse/torture

Neil always hates watching Andrew go. He’ll never get used to it. He does like the fact that Andrew came to visit, and that they never really talked about the reason. Both of them are bottle your emotions kind of people. Neil wants the comfort of Andrew not to talk about their feelings. Andrew has left a minuscule trace of his drink in the bottom of the glass and Neil pours it on to his tongue. He screws his face up at the taste and hands it to Katelyn.

“Neil?” she asks. Neil shakes his head at her. There’s a lot of stuff she’s asking. None of which is fair to tell her. To Katelyn’s credit, she doesn’t push. “Get Matt to make you something warm to eat,” she says instead.

Neil finds Dan, Matt and Renee holed up in the kitchen when he walks in there. Matt and Renee are offering words of comfort to their partner. Dan brushes them away when she spots Neil.

“Is he gone?” she asks. Neil can’t say he blames her for being uncomfortable around Andrew. It’s not that she dislikes him in any way, he brings up bad memories for her.

“He just left,” Neil replies. The look on her face makes it easy to remember they're on opposite sides of a long war and there have been many casualties along the way. Dan had lost a familiar a few years back. 

“He was okay though?” she pushes. Neil nods. 

“Yeah he’s managing, I just came to grab some food if that’s okay,” Neil says. Dan smiles at him and slings her arm around him dragging him over to the counter.

“Yeah sure man, anything you want,” Matt tells him. Neil gravitates towards Matt and basks in his magic. He’s not sure if Matt notices. Soon Neil has a full meal on his plate that he’s shovelling into his mouth. He’s nearly done when Katelyn bursts in a bemused look on her face.

“The King is here,” she announces. Neil takes another mouthful and puts his plate down. He straightens his back and walks out with his head held high.

Ichirou Moriyama looks enough like the head of the Raven Coven that you can tell they’re related, the resemblance stops there. Ichirou’s cheekbones and jaw are sharper and more refined than Riko’s, and something about his skin tone is more substantial than Riko's hollowness. His legs are slender and seem never-ending. As Neil approaches him, he notices the man has his black hair braided and styled into a bun laid flat at the back of his head. Neil tilts his head forward respectfully but doesn’t bow.

“Your majesty,” Neil says softly, he doesn’t take his eyes off the king. Ichirou stands and matches his gesture.

“Hello, Natti,” Ichirou says. Neil circles through several extreme emotions, before settling on an unamused glare.

“I didn't mean to offend, sit down Neil” Ichirou’s apology was genuine, but his invitation was not. Neil sits down.

“Why are you here Your Majesty?” Neil asks carefully. He lets his eyes slide to Erik who has taken up residence behind the king and is currently leaning against the wall, far too interested in his fingernails.

“Really? You can’t drop the formalities?” Ichirou says, he sounds genuinely upset which gives Neil a moment of pause. He leans forward on the table, his body language much more casual.

“Why are you here Ichi?” Neil questions. Ichirou lets out a long breath. His eyes sweep around the room, despite his societal status nobody is paying their table any mind.

“Riko wants to reconcile, I don’t trust him and his descent into complete insanity is a concern for the good of the kingdom,” Ichirou says. Neil waits patiently for him to continue.

“Then just say no.” Neil snaps, once it becomes evident that the king has no intention of following up.

“Then just say no,” Ichirou repeats sarcastically. Reminding Neil of the Ichirou from his childhood. “Your Grace,” Ichirou says, and Neil glares at him. “Your Grace,” Ichirou repeats more firmly.

“What do you want?” Neil questions.

“Solve my problems,” Ichirou says. Neil knows precisely what he means, it’s in the tone of his voice. Neil can’t believe his nerve. It always keeps coming back to this problem.

“Why don’t you just ask my father?” Neil asks angrily, getting up from the table.

“Natti, Neil please” Ichirou starts, getting up to follow after him. Neil throws up a hand and wraps a coil of energy around Ichirou. The king struggles against the magic despairingly. Neil gives Erik a nod to let him know that Ichirou will be fine and then he disappears into the backroom of The Foxhole.

“You could have said you actually knew them,” Nicky says, taking up residence beside Neil. Neil doesn’t turn to face him and instead begins to walk across the floor. Nicky falls perfectly in step with him like a shadow.

“I didn’t feel the need.” Neil quips

“Okay then,” Nicky says, somewhat agreeably. A sure sign he isn’t going to bother Neil about this particular thing anytime soon. “What do you need?” Nicky asks.

“For you to leave me alone.” Neil chides. Nicky lets out a loud huff and folds his arms across his chest.

“Anything besides that.” Nicky clarifies.

“You know I hate you when you’re like this,” Neil says. Nicky throws an arm around Neil’s shoulders in a way that means Neil sees it coming.

“Oh. I know, but you’re stuck with me.” Nicky points out cheerfully. Neil internally rolls his eyes, keeping his actual face completely blank. “You really do remind me of Andrew sometimes.” Nicky comments.

“Are you sure Andrew doesn’t remind you of me?” Neil asks.

“I mean maybe, at this point I’m not sure which of you I know more,” Nicky replies. His gaze trails off into nothingness for a few minutes as he ponders his own thoughts. Neil could probably leave him standing there, but considering he won’t get very far, he stays where he is, standing in the middle of an almost empty room. “Trojans wanted a meeting, so everyone is off there. Besides Aaron and Robin. I think they just went for a walk.” Nicky tells him when he returns to his senses.

“You didn’t get an invite?” Neil asks.

“To which part?” Nicky quips back miserably. Neil glances as at his friend, taking him in by small details. Neil knows life here can’t be easy for Nicky, his boisterous nature and his inane need to go barrelling into everybody’s business is an obvious coping mechanism that nobody wants to call him on. Seth will occasionally if he’s in a particularly nasty mood. Neil reaches into his coat pocket and rummages around until his hands grasp onto the smooth, thin cardboard of a pack of cards. He pulls them out and offers them to Nicky.

“Fancy a game?” Neil asks. Nicky looks at him as though he’s grown two heads.

“You hate cards.” Nicky points out needlessly. Neil flicks the cards around in the palm of his hand.

“You don’t though. I’ll even let you pick the game.” Neil tells him. Nicky bites into his lower lip, weighing up his options.

“No funny business though?” Nicky questions. Neil smirks at him.

“Do you not trust me, Nicholas,” Neil says, he doesn’t pose it as a question.

“I love you like a…” Nicky pauses, holding his hands out for the packet. “Like a brother. But no, not particularly.” Nicky admits. He pulls the cards out and sets them out on the table. Neil reaches out and drums his fingertips along Nicky’s knuckles.

“Love you too,” Neil says. The game decided upon is poker, and they play several hands until Neil gets agitated enough to start cheating, and Nicky gets upset enough to start pouting about it.

“What’s got you in such a bad mood anyway?” Nicky asks.

“Nothing,” Neil hisses.

“Are you actually trying to pretend that I don’t know your lying?” Nicky questions. “Look I didn’t know Erik was going to bring the King around,” he says.

“I know, I wasn’t expecting you to. I just thought Erik would have given me a little more warning. I hate been ambushed.” Neil scratches his fingers along the back of his neck, offering Nicky a sheepish smile. “It’s okay, I just have a lot on my mind.” Nicky looks at him sceptically. The man knows at the very least about the Lola kidnapping, it’s kind of hard to avoid when there were witnesses. “I’m just a bit shaken up by all of these people from my past, that I didn’t think I’d be seeing. It’s just a lot.” Neil admits. Nicky nods along thoughtfully.

“I get it, I think. I think if I saw my parents show up here I would…” Nicky trails off, a hint of desperation in his voice. Neil swallows the ball of anger swelling in his throat, he has some opinions about Nicky’s mother and even more about his father.

“Yeah,” he bites out, his voice clipped.

“Is that why you’re mad at him then? Because you didn’t want to see him?” Nicky asks.

“I’m not angry at the king, not only at the king at the very least and I do want to see him, he was my family long before any of you were,” Neil says. Nicky pats Neil firmly on the shoulder.

“Go on,” Nicky prompts encouragingly.

“You know, the king looks a lot like his uncle.” Neil says, “Not that it’s his fault. I look like my dad, and I can’t stand it.” Neil’s voice shakes slightly before he pulls it together, “I just always thought he was so cool, we were always together, Erik too and then Riko started presenting magic, and there was this whole separation because he got sent to train under his uncle. My father, been what he is, followed Uncle Tetsuji. He’d always been cruel, but I guess he’d been holding back on us when the royal court was overseeing our upbringing. People talk about Uncle Kengo as this evil, mythical person, but it simply isn't true." Neil wipes the edge of his sleeve over his eyes and puts on a bitter smile. "I mean, he was a nasty piece of work. I can't deny that. But, comparatively, you know? As a child, he was the best father I had. I didn't even get to go to the funeral." Neil feels his breathing quicken. "Riko found it easy to blame the torture on abandonment. Ichi never abandoned us. He was only a teenager. It's why Riko is the way he is though, and now Ichirou and Andrew are asking me to do something unthinkable. Like it’s not the killing it’s the thought of, what if I turn into my father?” Neil’s breathing stops altogether.

“Erik tells me the King is a good man,” Nicky tells him. “Maybe you should talk to him about how this is affecting you, I get it, but there's got to be more than one way to solve problems.” He suggests, keeping his voice calm. Leading Neil away from a panic attack. Neil takes in a gasp of air. “Are you with me?” Nicky asks.

“I hate talking about my past,” Neil says.

“Then don’t, we just have to fix the future. That’s all” Nicky replies. Neil tosses a card at him exasperatedly, so it flicks him in the forehead.

“I deserved that,” Nicky says.

“You deserved that,” Neil reiterates and both of them let out matching snorts of laughter.

“Hey Neil, how would you feel if I joined the King’s Guard?” Nicky asks. The hall begins to fill with a canopy of loud, rambunctious noise signalling the return of the others. Nicky is instantly distracted, and Neil feels a wave of relief. He’s not sure how to answer that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Ichirou calls Neil "Natti" at one point, a childhood nickname. 
> 
> -Neil and Nicky talk about Neil's dad when Neil is trying to explain why he's upset about Ichirou's visit.


	7. CAN’T HELP CHOKING ON YOUR PRIDE.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which I start to get super self-indulgent and Neil goes to visit the royal family.  
> Featuring. Family Bonding, A Coronation and A Casual Stabbing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Riko  
> Note: Character Death  
> Note: Misnaming  
> Note: Mentions of Abuse.  
> Note: Mild Sexual Content

The air of The Foxhole is buzzing with excitement. Everyone seems to have returned from their outings in high spirits, and Neil can’t seem to hold too tightly to his fears and irritations. He knows they’ll come back to haunt him later. For now, he climbs into a seat between Renee and Dan and steals the chicken from Renee’s plate. Someone swats at his hand, but it’s hard to tell who. Matt breaks him off some more meat and feeds it to him.

“The meeting went well,” Dan tells him. Neil nods, turning his full attention to her.

“Anything worth relaying?” Neil asks. Dan shakes her head and then pauses looking around.

“Jeremy and Laila have apparently been arguing about how much help they should give us, and if they should be pre-emptive about striking at the Ravens. Jeremy doesn’t want to be the one to start an all-out war.” Dan explains. Neil purses his lips and then lets out a noise somewhere between a hum and a sigh.

“I do understand Jeremy not wanting to get involved, but if he thinks this is the start of the war he needs to pay some more fucking attention,” Neil says quietly. “I don’t think I need them to strike. Any backup will do nicely. I need to ask them something myself though.” Neil continues.

“Neil,” Dan starts. Neil turns to her and frowns. Dan takes in a sharp breath and stares back at him. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she says after some time.

“I’m never stupid” Neil replies. Nobody laughs.

“I’ll set up a meeting for you in a couple of days,” Dan tells him. Neil nods sharply and gets up.

“I’d appreciate that,” For now Neil has something that he wants to do. He doesn’t say goodbye to anyone as he swings open the door to the street and steps through the warding.

The palace is exactly the same as Neil remembers from his childhood. The outside walls are surrounded by a sea of orange trees. He marches straight up to the front gate with a great purpose.

“Halt!” a young guard yells to him as he approaches. Neil does not halt, he does stop himself from snorting in amusement. Neil pauses in front of the guard. A boy of perhaps seventeen. Someone should really be on duty with him Neil muses.

“Hello, Could you open the door for me?” Neil asks, plastering a polite smile on his face. The boy blinks at him and sneers. Neil inwardly sighs, so he’s one of those types.

“What do you want?” the guard asks. Pulling his chest and shoulders upwards to make him look taller.

“I’ve come to see Ichirou,” Neil states in a bored voice, he doesn’t particularly have time for this nonsense. He should have slipped through the back door into the kitchens and saved himself some grief.

“Is the King expecting you?” the guard asks. Neil presses his thumb as forefinger into the edges of his eye sockets.

“No, I can’t say that he is,” Neil says, just as the door swings open and Erik steps through.

“Your Grace,” Erik says surprised and bows curtly. The guard after a second of confusion does the same thing. “Welcome Home,” Erik says, placing a guiding hand at the back of Neil’s shoulders and propelling him inside. Neil doesn’t pause to see what expression the guard is wearing. The vast corridor makes Neil’s heart stop beating in his chest. His eyes fall on the painting of a young smiling couple, his parents. He chokes on vomit as it catches in his throat. Erik steers him away from the image.

“Riko has been hovering around. Vying for your throne.” Erik says conversationally, Neil knows it’s both a distraction and an offering of vitally important information.

“For mine, not yours?” Neil questions. By birthright, Riko is supposed to have Erik’s. The seat at the left of the High Throne. The Right Side had been reserved for Neil. “Let him have it,” Neil says coldly.

“Neil,” Erik replies sharply. Neil doesn’t turn to look at him.

“I know,” Neil says under his breath as they get closer to the throne room. “Where is he?” Neil asks. Erik plays with the cuffs of his shirt and glances sideways at Neil.

“He’s taken up residence in your chambers,” Erik admits. Neil comes to a halt, he tries not to let that hurt.

“He’s really going all out isn’t he” Neil mutters.

“It kind of makes you want to kill him.” Erik comments, a sly grin playing across his face.  
“Don’t joke about that,” Neil says softly. Erik bumps purposefully into Neil’s side.

“Ichirou will be pleased to see you,” Erik tells him. Neil knows this, it’s never occurred to him in his entire life that Ichirou would ever be unhappy to see him. It’s a tremendous comfort to hear though and helps Neil stay calm. The two of them turn a corner towards a massive set of ornamental doors. Neil instantly recognises the woman with silver hair standing guard in front of them.

“Kindermutter,” Neil calls out, he can’t help it. The woman turns and beams at him and Erik.

“Is that my little boy? my how you’ve grown,” she says, sizing Neil up.

“He hasn’t grown that much,” Erik teases. “Hello, Mother.” Margaret “Maggie” Klose had been Neil’s nursemaid and primary caregiver through childhood. She now holds one of the highest positions in the royal guard. Second only to her eldest child, even then some argued she was more powerful than Erik and even Ichirou himself.

“I missed you my baby boy,” Maggie tells him, kissing him on both cheeks.

“Is the King alone?” Erik asks.

“Relatively, only the girls are with him. Would you like me to announce you?” Maggie questions. She winks at Neil in amusement. Neil sniggers, for the first time since he walked in. He’s glad to be home. 

“I doubt that will be necessary for some reason,” Neil tells her and pushes the door open.

“Wait,” Maggie calls, and Neil turns to face her. “My nephew?” she asks desperately.

“We’re working on it I promise. We’ll get Kevin somewhere safe.” Maggie nods sharply and returns to guarding the door.

When Neil and Erik enter the room, Ichirou is lying across his throne, his legs hanging over the edge. He has a book held open with one hand, and he’s using the other one propped against the edge of his jaw to keep himself upright. His clothes are finely tailored in the colours of white and gold. Three young girls are playing some sort of game on the floor on the opposite side of the room. The oldest of them Mitsuko Klose turns her head towards them with.

“Who? Uncle Natti?” she questions. There’s a mix of sadness, bitterness and relief in her tone. Her speaking causes Ichirou to move and whisper something in her ear. She nods, her chest moving up and down with obvious, harsh breaths. “Uncle Neil,” she says curtly before turning herself into a bird and flying onto a perch on the rafters. Neil stares after her.

“My apologies, she isn’t usually like that,” Ichirou tells him.

“Don’t lie to me brother, she’s entirely like that, she hasn’t changed,” Neil says. Ichirou looks at him thoughtfully.

“So I’m brother today am I?” Ichirou asks. Neil kneels down next to the other two girls, who look at him curiously.

“Was there something else I was supposed to call you?” Neil prompts. There’s a hand on his shoulder.

“Maeve, Marie-Anne. This is your Uncle Neil, you met him a long time ago. I do hope he’ll visit us more often.” Ichirou tells the girls. Neil isn’t truly their uncle, of course, Ichirou is certainly not their father, and yet they have been put up to inherit the throne. Neil doesn’t stand up but turns his body entirely to face Ichirou.

“I Neil Abram Moriyama-Josten. Seek to claim my throne.” Neil says. Everything about him feels void of emotions. He never wanted to do this, but if he’s claiming birthrights, this is the one that won’t completely destroy him. He’ll have something to crawl back to in the aftermath. Something worthwhile.

“Nathaniel is truly dead then.” Ichirou states. He lifts Neil’s face with his hands, they’re warm Neil realises. “Do you truly want it, I don’t want you to get hurt by this.” Neil rips Ichirou’s hands away from his face.

“Me getting hurt by other things is okay though? Don’t you love me anymore, don’t you understand.” Neil screams. Erik has shuffled the girls out of the room, and only Neil and Ichirou remain. The two of them staring at each other.

“You’re being unfair,” Ichirou says softly.

“I’m aware,” Neil replies. Ichirou laughs and embraces Neil. Neil can’t help but sink into him. “I have to tell Andrew,” Neil mutters.

“I’m afraid that yes you do. Andrew will understand though. You’re extremely important to him, and he is most welcome here.” Ichirou says.

“I don’t think Andrew will abandon his ravens.” Neil flops backwards and flattens himself against the floor. “This is not how I intended this day to go at all.” Neil huffs.

“Don’t go throwing a tantrum now.” Ichirou throws back. Neil, feeling himself being pulled back to the state of his five-year-old self, sticks his tongue out and makes a teasing noise. Ichirou’s hand whacks him square in the chest in retaliation.

“Oh no, I'm under attack,” Neil fake screeches, pushing himself upwards to bolt across the room. He dashes out a small door behind a tapestry to the left side of the room. Neil freezes on the other side. In front of him are his old chambers. There are burn marks on the wood where a carving of a sleeping fox should be, underneath it someone has painted a raven in flight. Ichirou comes rushing after Neil and crashes into the back of him.

“I’ll fix it, I promise I’ll fix it,” Ichirou tells him. Neil turns on his heel and marches away. His heart beating as though it wants to escape his chest. How could he have been so stupid, he knew Riko was there.

“What would you have done if your brother had caught me?” Neil asks.

“You’re stronger than Riko, even he knows that,” Ichirou replies. The king pushes a new door open, this one embellished with two crowns side by side.

Erik is leaning against the headboard, his legs crossed with his ankles tucked together. He has his head buried in papers that are no doubt important documents. He looks up when he hears them enter.

“Hello my dearest,” Ichirou says, kissing Erik on the top of his head.

“Hello love,” Erik replies, leaning momentarily into Ichirou’s touch. “Hello Neil,” Neil shoves at Erik’s legs until the soldier curls them up against himself. Neil flops down on the end, making himself comfortable.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Ichirou teases, leaning over the two of them. He grabs a pillow and smacks Neil in the face with it.

“Fuck you,” Neil mumbles, stretching his back out. “I still don’t want to be here,” he mutters.

“We know Kleine,” Erik replies, hiding his face behind his book.

“You know we really didn’t want you to leave, you do know. I begged Uncle to let you stay with us.” Ichirou tells him. Neil stares at him owlishly.

“I did not know that,” he says slowly. He scrunches his eyes shut and sighs. “I don’t regret leaving, or any of it,” he tells them.

“Do you regret coming back?” Ichirou asks.

“No,” Neil replies, offering no other explanation. The other two share a look between them that Neil can’t read.  
“Riko,” Erik states abruptly.

“Is a problem,” Neil concludes. “We can at least stop him taking power of the whole damn country. Unless he decided to assassinate as all.”

“Even he’d have to know the people wouldn’t look upon him favourably after that,” Ichirou says.

“Do you really think he’d care, my love?” Erik says. Something in his voice makes the three of them burst into rambunctious laughter. Ichirou twists his mouth into a smirk, his eyes watering.

“Gods. I’m sorry, I am so sorry. I am the king of a whole country. I am.” he chokes out. It makes them all laugh harder.

“This is a very serious conversation.” Neil deadpans, his whole face lit up with amusement.

A very serious conversation.” Erik mocks. “Do you remember the time when we had that gross fish stuff for dinner for weeks that none of us would eat.”

“Yes, Yes!” Neil exclaims “And then Ichi, kept like a pot full of it until it was rotten.”

“It smelt so much, and the chamber attendants couldn’t figure it out.” Ichirou pitches in

“All so you could pour it into Riko’s bed,” Erik says.

“No wonder he hates us,” Neil says, and the mood turns sombre.

“Riko hates everyone. His behaviour is not our fault.” Ichirou tells them. He runs his hands over non-existent crinkles in his clothing and walks towards the door. “Little brother, are you ready for this?”

“Which part?” Neil asks, Ichirou begins to roll his eyes but averts the action. “No, but that’s never stopped me before.”

“I’ll start making arrangements then,” Ichirou says, there’s not really much to do. Neil on a technicality is already the prince. He was never publicly denounced the same way Riko was, and nobody else sits on his throne. Everything else is just dressing and formalities. Neil hears the door click shut and realises Ichirou has left.

“Fuck.” He groans.

“Yeah. Fuck.” Erik agrees. “Do you need anything?” he asks nudging against Neil’s shoulder. Neil folds his arms across his body.

“Andrew,” he says softly. Erik ruffles at his hair, pushing Neil forward playfully.  
“I’m on it, just stay here,” Erik tells him. Neil hums.

“Hey Erik, Nicky really likes you,” Neil says. Erik makes a noise of surprise that’s not quite a laugh.

“I really like him too,” he replies before he’s gone too and Neil is left all alone. Neil wriggles himself down under the covers, pulling them up over his head. He should have told the others where he was going. Wymack is going to be so mad- Neil takes several shallow breaths in. With Riko out of the picture, there will actually be a chance to negotiate land disputes. With Riko out of the picture, Neil hangs himself off the edge of the bed and dry retches onto the floor. Neil wipes his mouth and groans.

Maybe if he’d never left Evermore Riko would have turned out differently. If Riko had somewhere else to focus his rage. Perhaps it would be worth every cut on Kevin’s skin. Every bruise on Jean’s. Worth Brady screaming and Andrew’s hollowness. If he’d convinced them they didn’t need to leave the palace, he should have done it, done anything else. He should have suffered with his friends. Eternity starts to pass him by as he stares into an abyss of stone floor.

Arms wrap around him and pull him back into reality.

“Are you out of your mind. Are you trying to kill yourself and everyone else.” Ichirou yells, his voice echoing around the room. Neil swallows the dryness of his throat.

“I was only thinking,” Neil says.

“You’ve been in a trance for three days, your Andrew is here to see you,” Ichirou tells him.

“My Andrew is...Andrew is here?” Neil rushes towards the door and spills himself out of it in a fluid motion. Andrew catches himself on the other side.

“You’re a fool,” Andrew tells him, curling his hands into the front of Neil’s clothing and kissing him.

“Your fool.” Neil teases, licking teasingly into Andrew’s mouth. Andrew lifts him up easily.

“Come on Court Jester, let’s talk privately,” Andrew says. Andrew leads him into an empty sitting room, someone must have told him where it was. He dumps Neil unceremoniously onto an armchair. Neil expects for him to yell.

“We can’t let Riko into the spotlight like this, he’s difficult enough already,” Andrew says, leaning himself on the edge of Neil’s chair.

““We can't let Kevin suffer any longer. We should have stopped it the moment he started showing up with broken bones.” Neil says. Andrew pulls the band out of his hair and fixes it.

“I never wanted you to be a martyr,” Andrew says.

“I’m not suffering for my faith, I’m not dying for it. I’m not suffering at all.” Neil says. Andrew lets out a huff of disappointment and leans across, so their foreheads are touching.

“Can you promise me that’s the truth?” he asks, Neil brings his hands up to cup Andrew’s face.

“No,” Neil whispers. “I can’t promise anything, that’s why I have you to keep me real.”

“You are nothing more than an ongoing dream, stealing into my life at every opportunity,” Andrew tells him.

“I’m not some spell you created. I am the man that loves you, will always love you. We protect each other.” Neil says.

“We protect each other.” Andrew echoes. “I want to see you in the crown and nothing else.” Neil almost chokes on his tongue.

“I didn’t think you’d be into that,” Neil says, his voice soft.

“I’m into you,” Andrew smirks. “But right now there is a whole court of people waiting for you to show up, so we’d better get you dressed in something more appropriate.”

It takes them a couple of hours, Neil had forgotten how many layers of clothing were involved in dressing like royalty. It was no wonder Ichirou was mostly seen in pants and a loose tunic unless it was for official occasions. Neil fidgeted boredly with the edge of his jacket, zoning himself in and out.

He feels a sharp flick at the back of his head and turns to find Andrew glaring at him.

“Stay,” Andrew says simply. Neil smiles at him, holding his gaze. He can see Andrew’s face flush pink.

“I love you,” Neil mouths. Andrew rolls his eyes at him. Erik comes in with his crown, and Neil feels everything freeze. He’d thought he’d have to wear his father’s old crown, but this one is newly made. The frame is made of delicately blown glass, glistening diamonds placed precariously in prongs designed to look like brambles reaching upwards from the earth. The whole thing is almost entirely see through. Neil can’t help the gasp that escapes his lips.

“We thought it would please you,” Erik tells him. Neil has to blink tears away. Erik hesitates only momentarily before placing a hand on Neil’s shoulder.

“I know this isn’t the life you wanted, and honestly, I know we’ve made it seem like there aren’t other options. But. If you wanted to if you wanted to not do this. We’d find a way to deal with Riko.” Erik says.  
“I know, Ichirou can just say no, or elect another official. Yes, Riko will kick up a stink, and it’s, bad for everyone. He can give Riko the crown.” Neil pauses and chews on the inside of his mouth. “But then Riko has a footing in both worlds and overthrowing him from two positions of power might be harder than we anticipate. No better to control as much as we can as fast as we can.” Neil concludes.

“Him dying in the spotlight of the entire country would be much harder to explain.” Andrew pitches in.

“So, I’m not backing down,” Neil says fiercely. Erik settles the crown on the top of the tussle of Neil’s curls.

“In that case take a deep breath we’re about to have dinner with the enemy,” he says. Neil does as instructed gathering as much air into his lungs as he can muster. He reaches out for Andrew’s hand, and his partner tangles their fingers together.

“I’m ready,” Neil says.

“Is that our little Natti all grown up,” Riko says as Neil enters into the dining hall. He doesn’t seem overly surprised to see him which means he’s had some warning. Riko moves forward, reaching out towards Neil. Erik shifts so fast to block him Neil is impressed. Neil stands, walking forward with a purpose.

“Hello Rikki,” Neil says, resting his hand on Riko's shoulder and squeezing harshly. “Is it wise to leave your Ravens all alone?” Neil asks.

“The crown doesn’t suit you, you smarmy little brat.” Riko hisses. Neil forcibly spins him to face the table full of courtiers.

“Wave to them won’t you Big Brother, they want to see how happy you are,” Neil tells him, letting his voice carry. Several women seated close to them fan themselves delightedly. Neil drops his voice. “Did you really think we would let you get away with your abuse forever, did you think we would never have plans to destroy you?”

“I’m going to kill you, Nathaniel,” Riko says. A grin plastered on his face.

“Not if I kill you first,” Neil replies, he is not smiling.

“People of the court, may I introduce my baby brother. I’m so proud for him to be taking the crown.” Riko says, his voice clipped and rehearsed. “I know that you all wished for me to take it for all our thrones to be united and one vision, but alas he will have to do.” Riko shoves him forward a little too forcefully, and Neil stumbles slightly. Nobody seems to notice, and Neil takes his seat with Ichirou on one side and Andrew, invited as Neil’s consort, on the other. Neil feels a sense of relief that Riko has been seated on the far end of the table and Neil won’t have to talk to him for the remainder of the meal.

There are more courses than Neil knows what to do with and he forces himself to eat politely, using all the correct knives and forks. He isn’t required to make a good impression, but he thinks it for the best. Andrew keeps subtly flicking his wrist to fill their glasses with water, something Ichirou seems to find highly amusing, and the two of them share sly smiles.

After dinner, there’s ballroom dancing, and the main hall has been decorated with lights and ribbons. Servers carry goblets filled with wine, offering them to guests. Neighbouring delegates have travelled to see the spectacle and commoners are enjoying the chance to dress up and mingle with the royal family. The Trojans have also been invited due to their status as a nomadic tribe making them a sort of principality of their own right. Neil makes his way over to Jeremy Knox.

“Neil!” Jeremy says delightedly and leans forward to kiss Neil on both cheeks.

“You’re still as chipper as ever,” Neil huffs, even though he’s pleased to see the man. Jeremy gazes out into the crowd and Neil follows his gaze. He finds himself watching two of Jeremy’s most trusted advisors Laila Dermott and Sara Alvarez spinning around each other like small children playing a game.

“Well, it’s been a long time, and you’re throwing us a mighty fine party,” Jeremy says. Neil hums and rocks back and forth on his feet.

“Yeah. It’s nice. Can I ask you a favour?” Neil asks. Jeremy folds his arms across his chest, but his stance is still welcoming.

“You really don’t beat about the bush do you,” Jeremy says. “I knew this was coming though,” Neil’s face must twitch with surprise because Jeremy adds, “Dan mentioned something to me, she’s going to have a conniption just so you know.”

“Dan will be fine, it was about Kevin actually. If we get him out, I don’t think he’ll stay with the Ravens. I’m not sure The Foxhole or The Palace are right for him either, maybe one day of course but,” Neil lets his words fade.

“He needs somewhere completely new to heal.” Jeremy guesses.

“Yes.” Neil agrees.

“I can arrange something then,” Jeremy says.

Neil nods and sweeps his way across the floor to talk to other guests. Andrew catches him around the waist and twirls him around, taking him into a dancing hold. Neil slots his fingers between Andrew’s.

“Hello,” Andrew says calmly, his eyes studying Neil’s face. Neil pushes himself closer. Stepping one foot forward in between Andrew’s legs and using his other one to pivot to the right, Andrew follows him around and guides Neil backwards in a square formation.  
“Hello yourself,” Neil says, feeling giddy. Andrew moves his hands downwards and pulls Neil against his chest. “You’re enjoying this whole spectacle aren’t you?” Andrew accuses.

“I’m enjoying it with you,” Neil replies. “I just want to have something nice before everything turns to shit, I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Nothing is new then, so you’ll do swimmingly.” Andrew deadpans, but Neil can see the spark of amusement in his eyes.

“I hate you,” Neil huffs, stepping out from Andrew and spinning himself under his arm.

“I hate you more,” Andrew replies. “Ichirou offered me a permanent spot in court” he offers up nonchalantly. Neil glances towards The King, he and Erik have their heads bowed together deep in conversation.

“Interesting,” Neil hums. “Did you know Nicky wants to join the King’s Guard,” he says. Andrew narrows his eyes.

“Interesting.” Andrew echoes. He and Neil look at each other. “I think he should do it if he wants.” Neil nods. Noise is made to indicate a speech and silence falls across the hall.

“I hope you are all enjoying our Young Neil’s coronation,” Ichirou’s voice rings out. There are several well-hearted cheers. “My other brother Riko is taking his leave to return to his home. Please wish him a happy farewell.” Ichirou pulls Riko up onto the stage. Riko smiles wildly, animalistic and gives a grand wave. Several people rush forward to shower him with flowers and kiss at his hands.

“I should probably leave with him,” Andrew says.

“Fuck Riko,” Neil snarls under his breath.

“Indeed but I would rather know where he is at all times. I will not leave my witches alone in his hands.” Andrew says Neil knows he’s right. Neil leans over and kisses Andrew gently on the cheek.

“Be safe, tell them I say hello,” Neil tells him.

“I’ll see you soon,” Andrew says meaningfully.

“Yes, you will” Neil replies agreeably, watching as Andrew strolls after Riko. The two of them look like they could be friends, both of them dressed head to toe in black with gold detailing. There’s a pang in Neil’s chest as they exit through the doorway.

“Uncle Neil?” Mitsuko says, and Neil turns to her in surprise. “Don’t feel too bad, that man wants to kill you.” Neil chokes slightly on air.

“You shouldn’t know these things Mitsuko,” Neil says. Mitsuko shrugs.

“There’s a lot of things I shouldn’t know, but if I’m to become queen one day I best start sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.” she says, “besides I miss my cousin, we raven folk are not so forgiving to those who harm our brethren.”

“No. I suppose you’re not.” Neil says.

“Make him bleed,” Mitsuko says, disappearing into the crowd. Everything starts to wrap up after that, and Neil is shown to his chambers. They’ve had to put in several new pieces of furniture because Riko had destroyed them in a fit. The bed is still the same though, and Neil traces his fingers against the wood. There’s a panel along the side where they’d all carved their initials in. I.M, E.K, R.M, K.D, N.W. someone has scratched the W out and replaced it with a J, Neil wonders who it was as he runs his fingers over it. Neil lays back onto the bed. There’s really nothing else for him to wait for. So he grabs what he needs and steps through the void, hoping Andrew has taken the Evermore barrier down

“Hello, Natti,” Riko says as Neil steps into his room. Riko isn’t facing him, and Neil doesn’t let it take him by surprise.

“Hello, Rikki” Neil replies. He doesn’t lower the knife clutched in his unshaking hands. Riko turns to look at him and so does Kevin from his position in the corner. The Raven is on the floor, his clothes unwashed.

“I knew this would come one day. I’m just shocked it took you so long.” Riko tells him. Riko pats his hand on the bed underneath him, gesturing for Neil to sit down. Neil pulls a wooden chair towards him and sits in that instead.

“Really?” Neil asks curiously. Twirling the knife carelessly in his fingers, it’s somehow comforting after so many years of avoidance.

“You always liked Ichirou better than me, even when we left the palace. And then you went and joined the foxes.” Riko snarls at him.

“What were you expecting me to do. Join you? Live under you.” Neil asks. Riko lunges forward and grabs at Neil. Neil flicks his knife into Riko’s throat, applying just enough pressure to make him bleed. “You know I don’t even need this to kill you.” Neil points out.

“Neither of us need weapons.” Riko agrees. Neil smirks and lowers the knife.

“Who do you think is better on the draw Rikki?” Neil questions. Riko’s face matches Neil’s as he pushes himself upright.

“You Natti. It’s always going to be you.” Riko sighs defeatedly.

“This wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t for Kevin. You should have just let him be.” Neil tells him.

“Kevin belongs to me.” Riko snaps back, defending his actions. Neil takes the moment to stand up and shove his blade through Riko’s heart.

“That’s the problem. Thinking you get to own people. Torture doesn’t make you a leader, it makes you a coward.” Neil states calmly. Twisting the knife. Riko coughs up a mouthful of blood. Neil curls his fingers around the back of Riko’s neck and pulls the knife out. Riko collapses into him. “It’s going to be okay Rikki. It’s all okay. Kevin will be safe, and we’ll look after your Ravens.” Neil lets go, and Riko drops to the floor. Neil gives him a slight nudge with his foot and leans down to close Riko’s cold eyes.

Neil senses a movement and turns to face it. Kevin is standing, panic written across his face.

“Neil. Run.” Kevin screams. Everything goes black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I think all of these Notes can be summed up as "Riko is his own warning" except for the Mild Sexual Content, that's Andrew telling Neil he wants to see him in nothing but a crown.
> 
> also yay they've rescued Kevin! what a blessing.
> 
> Like I've said. I do hope people are enjoying it, my goal is to get just one person to say, hey this is a cool story. so if you do think it's a cool story (so far) feel free to comment below. I do have to go and get ready for work so I apologise for the slow posting for anyone reading the updates. 
> 
> I love you all so much.


	8. SERENADE ME AMONGST THE ABYSS, GUIDE ME TO YOU.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Ravens and The Foxes come together to like...fight great evil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Golly Gee! We are almost done.
> 
> NOTE: Kidnapping, Torture, Hurt Characters. Trigger words for character See End Notes

There’s pounding on the door. Andrew is inclined to ignore it, but the pounding doesn’t stop. Andrew throws the door wide open and glares at the person on the other side.

“He’s taken Neil,” Kevin Day says, before collapsing against Andrew’s chest. Andrew hauls him to his feet. He can feel the bones underneath the surface of Kevin’s skin. There’s nothing else of him. Andrew summons a cup to him and fills it with water.

“Drink,” he tells Kevin, his voice shaking.

“I’m sorry Andrew, I’m so sorry. Please -” Kevin begins to ramble. He’s wringing his hands into the front of Andrew’s tunic.

“Don’t,” Andrew says sharply, tugging Kevin’s hands away. “Just tell me what happened.” Kevin takes a few deep breaths and relays the events of Neil’s capture while Andrew sits there in stony silence.  
“And are you okay?” Andrew asks carefully once Kevin is done.

“Yes,” Kevin replies firmly, looking anything but.

“Good, go and find Jean he should be in the Mess.” Kevin obeys automatically. Something that Andrew might be currently grateful for, yet he’ll be making sure to fix that coded temperament as soon as possible. He’d rather have Kevin be the overly conceited whiny brat he’s supposed to be. Andrew screws his eyes shut, calling out to Aaron. It’s time to mobilise everybody.

When he connects to Aaron, he’s surprised to find the foxes are already on his way to them.

“Matt felt something weird,” Aaron explains, his voice ragged from running. Andrew frowns at him- through him, it gets confusing.

“Matt?” Andrew asks. Aaron nods, which is always a weird experience.

“Yeah,” he says. “He had this fit like he was in pain and started screaming that something was wrong with Neil, so here we are.”

“Matt, had a fit?” Andrew asks.

“Are you planning on repeating everything I say?” Aaron questions. Andrew lets out a low huff and cuts the connection. He stretches his arms up over his head, stretching the knots in his back out.

“Fuck,” he mutters under his breath.

Andrew leaves his room and makes his way up an eerily empty main hallway. He pushes the door to the mess open and several eyes dart towards him. He ignores them, and they don’t linger. He slides into a seat next to Jean.

“Has somebody reported the body yet?” he asks. Jean nods.

“Yeah.” Andrew places his thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose and pushes outwards, smoothing along the edges of his brow.

“I told them.” Kevin says softly, “Me just been here is suspicious.” Thea takes his hand, slotting their fingers together and squeezing. Andrew looks away from them.

“Probably for the best,” he says. He thinks he’s probably expected to say more, but he’s saved by Brady darting breathlessly across the room to get to them. She bends over when she gets to them, bracing herself against her knees and panting.

“Foxes. Foxes are here,” she says loudly, between gasps.

“It’s okay, the barrier might be down, but we can steal defeat them.” Someone yells, a rallying battle cry met with mutters of part agreeance and part confusion.

“Be quiet Conner,” Boris says and Conner, not knowing what else to do, follows the command. Boris turns to look at Andrew. “What now Boss?” he says.

“Go let them in, I need to speak to Danielle Wilds,” Andrew says. People look like they’re going to argue. Nobody actually says anything. Andrew doesn’t take notice of who goes to follow his instructions. “Jean will take you back to our chambers, you’ll be safe there,” he says to Kevin.

“No. I’m coming with you to find Neil,” Kevin says.

“Kevin,” Andrew says sharply.

“I just spent years been tortured. He's my friend. My family.” Kevin hisses.

“I get it, but right now I don't give a shit what you want. We did this to keep you alive. You're too weak for this” Andrew tells him.

“Riko would have let me go,” Andrew backhands him, and it turns Kevin's face red.

“Andrew!” Thea squawks, lunging at Andrew, he sidesteps her easily.

“Sorry,” Kevin mutters, his eyes flicked down to the floor. Andrew hates this

“Kevin, Please,” Andrew says, he can feel it tearing him in pieces, that word from his lips burning through his soul. He doesn't know how else to ask. How else he can protect Kevin. “Please,” he repeats, wanting to tear out his throat.

“Okay,” Kevin agrees. “Come on Jean.”

“I-”

Jean begins and cuts himself short. There's nothing he can say. Andrew watches them as they disappear from the room. There’s a splattering of murmurings about why the foxes have come and why the barriers went down. Danielle marches in, and there’s an instant wave of silence. Her eyes meet Andrew’s, and she makes a beeline towards him. Andrew opens up his arms, and she embraces him, it’s unpleasant for all involved, but it’s easy to see that showing a united front will bring people around to their mutual interests.

“It’s good to see you,” Danielle says, she raises her voice enough for everyone to hear, she sounds genuine, and Andrew has no reason to believe she’s faking it. Andrew resists the weird urge to give a tight squeeze. Instead, he mutters,

“Yeah, you too.” The two of them back away from each other towards their respective groups. Matt coughs loudly, and several people turn to look at him. There are dark rings under his eyes, and he seems as though he’s trying not to shake. Some of the Ravens look shocked and uncomfortable, a number of them blatantly ignore the witch, not caring because he doesn’t belong to their ranks.

Jessica surges forward and catches Matt under his arms, she glares daggers around the room.

“Help me get him to the fucking infirmary, you lunatics.” She says Andrew will have to let her know he’s proud of her backbone. Subtly of course. A couple of familiars and witch snap out of their stupor and rush forward. Andrew is surprised to note that one of the familiars is Conner, Andrew can’t say he blames the kid, looking at Matt must be like looking at an older brother.  
Andrew catches his cousin’s eye and Nicky half smiles before turning away and folding his arms across his chest. Andrew is aware of how hard this is for him. Matt is not only Nicky’s friend, but someone he once loved and sure, it may have been unrequited and enough years ago for it to be a distant memory, but Andrew imagines the emotion still lingers. Nicky is the type to hang on to things like that. Andrew watches Aaron give Nicky’s shoulder an unsure squeeze, and Nicky brightens up instantly. Andrew will never understand him.

“Alright Ravens!” Nicky says enthusiastically, sticking his hand out for someone to shake before continuing with “I’m Nicky, it’s nice to meet you all” nobody steps forward to take his hand, and Nicky begins to lower it.

“You’ll have to forgive us,” Thea says softly, moving forward through the crowd, she grips her hand tight enough in his that Andrew notices his cousin wince. “We’ve never had a human in the nest before” Nicky glances around wearily before flinging his arms out like a performer.

“Well, I’m here now.” Thea laughs and flings an arm around him.

“Come on let’s all get to know each other while the important people talk,” she shoots a look at Andrew and Andrew rolls his eyes.

“Captain Wilds,” Andrew says, his tone clear but barely above a whisper.

“High Priestess Minyard,” Dan replies, there are cries of outrage from a few witches, loyal to Riko even in death. Andrew doesn’t look at them as he reaches a hand out and douses them in a few buckets worth of water pulled from the pipes. He ignores their splutterings.

“What’s wrong with him,” Andrew asks once he and Dan have gotten out of earshot. Dan raises an eyebrow at him. Andrew shrugs and leans against the wall.

“You know what it is, surely you’ve seen this before,” Dan’s not snapping at him, but its close. Andrew can see her desire the gnash her teeth at him. Andrew looks her straight in the eye as he tells her,

“I mean of course I have, you’re not the only one who’s ever lost a familiar Danielle,”

“You’re a dick,” Dan replies. There’s a sofa where they’ve ended up, and she collapses onto it wearily, it’s hard for Andrew not to feel the same exhaustion while he’s watching her. It’s nothing even close to empathetic, he’s merely holding in years of his own stresses. He can feel it in the depths of his chest.

“Did you know?” Andrew questions. Dan pauses at the question for several minutes before shaking her head.

“Did you?” she counters.

“Neil isn’t meant to be a familiar,” Dan runs her fingers back and forth through her hands, making a frustrated clawing motion.

“Well Neil’s always been special, I hear he’s King now and everything.” She says Andrew stares at her blandly.

“Crown Prince actually, the right of the throne,” He replies. Dan rolls her eyes at him and musters up an impressive amount of sarcasm.

“Impressive,” she says. Andrew laughs, and she punches him in the chest.

“Anyone informed the palace?” Dan questions.

“I doubt it, no need to worry them just yet. They don’t need the panic.” Andrew says.

“We’re going to save him aren’t we?” Dan questions. Andrew doesn’t look at her, but he’s confident when he tells her,

“Of course, I need to throttle him myself for getting himself fucking kidnapped.”

“You don’t really mean that,” Dan tells him, Andrew grins at her mischievously.

“Oh don’t I?”

“I’m sorry about all of this,” Dan says, Andrew isn’t entirely sure what she has to be sorry for so he just shrugs.

“Idiot’s a magnet for trouble, can’t be helped.”

“That isn’t what I…” Dan sighs and trails off, “You’ve been together a long time is all,” she finishes. Andrew stares at her blankly.

“Yes,” he says, Dan glares at him. “Come on, we need to see how Matt’s fairing, we can use him to track Neil.”

“Could you at least pretend you care how he’s going?” Dan asks him as she stands up.

“Oh but I do care, Danielle, I care very much,”

“That was the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

 

Ravens and Foxes have spread out into the hallways, and they pass several small groups on their way to the infirmary. Nicky is still talking to Thea, and they’ve been joined by Boris, Jessica and Conner. Conner and Nicky are matching each other’s movements enthusiastically. Conner reaches a hand out to Jessica, and she tangles their fingers together. Ah, Andrew thinks, that explains his drastic change in attitude.

There are other groups too, The foxes Maniae and his partner are talking to Brady, no one appears to be ready to throw punches or tear themselves apart so his powers must be staying relatively in check.

Aaron and Renee are on either side of Matt when they enter the room. Aaron stands to shift out of the way, and Dan slides into his place, quick as lightning. Andrew presses a thumb just behind Aaron’s ear, and his doppelganger relaxes.

“Tell me your verdict,” Andrew says. Aaron’s training as a medic is still in the early stages, but Andrew trusts him to make sound observations.

“He’s coughed up a lot of blood, and there’s bruising around his abdomen,” Aaron says clinically.

“Is it coming from himself?” Andrew prompts. Aaron frowns thoughtfully.

“It’s hard to tell. I think the blood is a symptom of his own body, but that the bruising isn’t. I’d put money on those been stab wounds. Deep stab wounds.”

“A knife then, rather than claws,” Andrew states, looking over at Matt. The witch doesn’t appear to currently be conscious. Andrew leans forward and slaps him hard across the face. “Wake up Boyd” Matt doesn’t stir.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do that,” Renee says calmly, Dan doesn’t say anything, so Andrew slaps him again.

“I hate you,” Matt groans and Andrew moves out of the way just as Matt hurls all over the floor.

“The feeling is mutual,” Andrew says, using magic to clean up the mess. “How long have you been able to feel Neil?” he asks.

“Just before we left I guess, everything is hazy,” Matt rolls himself onto his side and props himself up with his arm, it seems to be taking him some effort. “I remember I was feeling warm, which isn’t unusual, you get it,” Matt lets out a soft groan. “So I was warm, and I remember it feeling like Neil was next to me, which was weird because Neil is a sneaky little -” He has to pause to cough, and blood trickles from his mouth, Aaron grabs a towel and cleans him up. “I turned to say something to him because I was mad, I was mad he’d been away even though...I was just mad.” his words are starting to slur, Andrew thinks another slap wouldn’t go over so well though.

“Babe, we need you to stay awake,” Dan coaxes. Matt smiles weakly at her.

“Neil wasn’t there, and there was just all of this pain, and I knew, I’d heard stories.”

“Can you track him, do you know where he is?” Andrew asks.

“That’s the thing, he’s here,” Matt says. Andrew wants to bang his head against something hard, or Matt’s head, either way, would be perfectly acceptable.

“No, he’s not. I’d know, I would know, and I don’t know, so he’s not here.” Andrew says.

“Drew,” Renee says sharply, and she levels him with a look, it's rare for people to have that effect on him.

“The Void, he’s in the void,” Andrew realises. He grasps a handful of his hair and pulls at it aggressively, he’s almost impressed that none of it comes out.

“We need someone who’s specifically good at the same type of teleportation spells as Neil, someone who can travel in that kind of abyss and not get lost,” Renee says.

“I could try,” Aaron speaks up.

“Do you have the right protections for that, besides man, I need you to take care of me here. I’m sure Andrew has like a witch or something.” Matt slurs, only half in consciousness. Andrew turns to Aaron and tells him,

“He’s right. I do have a witch for this.” He marches out of the room and taps Brady on the shoulder.

“So, you know how Foxes and Bumblebees are on the same magical frequency as each other?” he asks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Neil has been kidnapped by his father, Matt can feel the results of this through a psychic bond 
> 
> Kevin says please to Andrew, later on, Andrew himself says it to get through to Kevin how serious he is been. 
> 
> Damn. Shit just got real and everyone needs a hug. 
> 
> Also, I love Conner. 
> 
> On that note, I really really really do need to go to work but hopefully, the last chapter will be up sometime tonight. I apologize again for how terrible this story is, I feel like I've done a really bad job and it went a little off the rails. So I don't know.


	9. ALL THAT MATTERS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's go rescue Neil!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's the end of the story 
> 
> Well, it's the end of the fic because the story is certainly nowhere near done. I'm thinking I might post some extra content in the coming weeks. Maybe I'll even ultimately write a sequel because I feel there's truly a lot of places this universe can go. 
> 
> NOTES: Kidnapping/Torture, Poisoning, Character Death, Forced Binding (I'm not sure how to say that) see End Notes

The plan is simple enough, they’ll use Matt and a spell to locate Neil in the void, they’ll send Brady through in her familiaral form, and she’ll open the void enough for them to slip through undetected.

The problem is that things are more complicated than they sound and the spell will take several days.

“We should tell Erik and the King. They’ll be able to help,” Nicky insists.

“Go and bother Aaron or something, I’m sure he needs a hand,” Andrew says, waving him away. Nicky goes to say something else, likely just to repeat himself, and Andrew glares at him. Nicky stutters

“I’ll just…bye” He gives Andrew one last pleading look before shuffling off to somewhere in the stronghold. He knows Nicky is right, and there’s no reason he shouldn’t involve the royal family, but it just seems like it’s putting too many elephants in one room. Evermore is big but not that big. Ichirou’s presence is likely to upset the barely there balance of the coven. Andrew will have to speak to someone about taking over the role of Head Priestess, and it is not a position that he needs to keep.

“Andrew?” a soft voice says from behind him, and Andrew has to stop himself from startling. He looks over his shoulder to find Conner there looking apologetic.

“People are starting to wonder what happened to Riko, and why the foxes are here and I, they, uh?” Conner runs a hand self consciously up and down his arm. His hand clings nervously at the black sleeve around his shoulder. Andrew studies the boy for a good while, long past what would be comfortable. Conner doesn’t say anything, just waits for Andrew to stop.

“How much of the truth do you want?” Andrew asks carefully. Conner doesn’t seem surprised by the question. Instead, he sounds determined.

“All of it.”

“Okay,” Andrew agrees.

“You aren’t going to swear me to secrecy?” Conner asks. Andrew folds his arms over his chest and leans into Conner. They're close enough Andrew can feel Conner’s sharp breathing against his face.

“I don’t believe I need to,” Conner bites into his lip and nods, he glances back towards a group of others.

“No, you don’t.”

“Neil killed him, stabbed him with a knife.” To Conner’s credit, his face doesn’t change.

“Then who took Neil?”

“Have you heard of The Fox Butcher?” Conner visibly shudders by way of answer, Andrew thinks if he inspected the boy close enough he’d be able to see tears of fear streaming down his face.

“I remember him,” Conner says quietly. He squares his shoulders and looks straight at Andrew likes he’s looking down the wrong end of a sword. “I’m coming with you to get him. I have my own bones to pick with Nathan Wesninski.” Andrew doesn’t argue.

“If you’re not ready to go when we leave, I’m not waiting for you,” he says.

“For some reason, I think I can manage,” Conner replies curtly, turning on his heel and marching himself towards Jessica who pulls him into a sideways hug.

“They’re sweet.” Renee comments, sliding next to Andrew.

“They’re children,” Andrew says, turning to look at her. She seems tired even though she’s smiling. “How’s Matt?”

“Are you asking because you actually care?”

“I care that Neil is hurting,” Andrew snaps. Renee’s fingers curl inwards, and her hands become fists.

“Don’t presume that you’re the only one who is suffering through this,” she says calmly. Andrew assess her coldly. “He’s awake. Dan’s with him now.”

“That’s good,” Renee grins more. “You know, Neil doesn’t like me very much.”

“Don’t feel special Neil hates everyone,” Andrew says.

“I doubt he hates you,”

“I’m scared about this,” Andrew admits, he lets his gaze fall on his Ravens. “Things were supposed to get better.”

“Thinking that you are two steps forward and ten steps backwards is never going to catch you up to anything,” Renee says.

“That a lesson from your gods?” Andrew asks.

“We have the same gods, Andrew,” Renee chides, this argument is one they’ve had before. Renee thinks of the gods as solid beings, Andrew knows they are nothing more than abstract concepts used to create the energy needed to use magic.

“Then go worship if you need to, I’m going to get to work.”

Andrew’s skin itches and he has to physically stop himself from clawing it off, not having Neil by his side is causing his mind to sink into a madness he didn’t think was possible. He hates this feeling the same way he hates breathing air after he’s been sitting at the bottom of a river. Everything is hazy and painful, and he needs something to happen. Jean finds him tucked away in some corner somewhere problem solving a spell.

“You’re being a facetious little brat, let people help you,” Jean says, sinking down beside him. “I want him back too, it’s not the same with him gone, I need, I want,” Jean chokes on his own voice as he tries not to cry.

“Go talk to Conner and Brady, and I’ll talk with Matt,” Andrew says, ignoring the swelling emotions of - coming through the bond.

“I can do that,” Jean says blankly.

When Andrew enters the infirmary, he’s annoyed to see The King next to the fire witch’s bed.

“Who called you then?” Andrew asks. Ichirou doesn’t turn to look at him.

“No one. I was worried about Neil. He wasn’t in his chambers or the foxhole.” Ichirou says.  
“So you thought you’d just come straight here then?” Andrew antagonises. 

“Yes,” Ichirou says his voice clipped, “I hear my brother is dead.” 

“I think his body is still around if you want to see it,” Andrew tells him.

“Not particularly,” Ichirou states coldly. “Erik is off canoodling with your cousin if you’d like to take him to see Kevin.”

“Were you planning on seeing him?” Andrew questions, Matt stirs slightly and rolls to one side. Ichirou looks at him with soft eyes. He returns his attention to Andrew and gestures at his own face. 

“I didn’t think it was wise,” he says. Andrew nods and lets himself back out of the room. He turns back to Ichirou and says,

“Fetch me when he wakes up I do need to speak with him.”

He finds Erik in a corner with Nicky’s tongue down his throat. 

“Your Highness,” Andrew says sharply, and the two of them break apart hastily, blushing as though they’ve been caught be a schoolmaster. Erik bows his head slightly in greeting.

“Hello,” he says, a hint of amusement in his voice. Andrew notices he hasn’t removed his arm from where it's resting around Nicky’s waist. 

“The King seems to think you’d like to see Kevin,” Andrew says. Erik takes in a sharp breath, and he must tighten his grip because Nicky lets out a gasp of surprise. 

“I would appreciate it, if you would, would you take me to him?” Erik asks. Andrew twirls on his heel and marches down the corridor. Erik is smart enough to follow him with Nicky trailing after, rushing to keep up. Andrew reaches his room and uses his magic to open the front door. Erik steps past him and into the room. 

“What’s going on?” Nicky asks. 

“Shut up,” Andrew hisses. Kevin looks up at the noise and upon spotting Erik launches himself forward with a sob. Erik catches him easily, and Andrew notes how opposing the look to each other. Erik is the strength of the sun and Kevin is the waning moon.

“Cousin. Schatz” Erik breathes out cautiously running his hand through Kevin’s hair.

“Dúramán,” Kevin hisses angrily. “Cá bhfuil sé?” he asks, beating a fist into Erik’s chest.

“Er ist hier, Is féidir liom é a fháil,” Erik tells him, making no move to stop Kevin hitting him.

“ich habe dich so vermisst.” Kevin admits. 

“I missed you too. We never wanted you to go,” Eriks says, Kevin steps away from him and folds his arms across his chest.

“Warum hast du mich dann verlassen? cén fáth ar fhág tú dom? Erik, Why?” he’s screaming by the end, and Andrew steps forward.

“That’s enough,” Andrew says. Kevin turns and spits at him. 

“It’s not enough. You don’t get to tell me that. Get out. Geh raus. Geh raus.” Andrew grabs Erik by the back of his collar and drags him out of the room, almost knocking Nicky over in the process. He slams to door closed. 

“That went well,” Erik deadpans. Nicky stares at him scrutinously, a small pout forming at his lip. Erik gives a fond smile, “It really is fine my dearest,” he tells him. Nicky’s expression doesn’t change.

“Why is everyone I care about like this?” Nicky questions, he sounds like his normally cheery self, but Andrew can hear the underlying exasperation in his voice. Erik turns to Andrew a confused look of desperation on his face. Andrew shrugs at him. 

“Try not to make nuisances of yourselves in the corridors,” Andrew says and leaves them to deal with themselves any way they see fit. 

He walks past two witches, Jack and Sheena whispering conspiritally and makes a note to have someone keep an eye on them. He has no doubts in his mind that they are Riko loyalists and will cause grievous amounts of trouble as soon as the opportunity arises. Jack’s magic at best is created by his need to display some kind of tortured sensationalism. He’d never quite learnt control of it, even though Riko was meant to be teaching him personally. His crude spellwork was nothing but dangerous. Sheena was a much more skilled witch, but she was a wild card, quiet in a way that only leads to cruelty. Andrew pushes them both out of his mind. 

He finds the members of ‘Let’s Go Save Neil, Because He’s An Idiot Who Got Himself Kidnapped and We Are Worried’ converged in Thea and Brady’s room. Conner, a young girl Andrew knows to be the other water witch, and Renee all have themselves pushed against the wall in a manner that has them upside down. He bends down and tilts his head, raising his eyebrow. 

“Andrew, we’re ready,” Thea says. “We’re just waiting for you to make to call.” 

“Matt’s prepared?” Andrew asks. 

“Yes,” Thea confirms. “Ali and Seth and Boris are staying behind along with Erik and Nicky to watch things here. Jean has Kevin covered. Aaron will be with Matt monitoring his vitals as best he can. Brady will you in first followed by myself, you, Conner, Jessica, Dan, Renee and Robin.” Andrew turns to the girl in surprise. 

“Nobody gets to fuck with Neil,” she says fiercely. A low buzz of cheering fills the room. 

“Let's go get him,” Andrew says. 

 

They pile into the infirmary, it fits the eight of them going along with Aaron and Ichirou comfortably enough, but it's not designed to fit this many people. The king is leaning against the far corner, eyeing them off wearily. It’s the least regal Andrew has ever seen him. 

“Bring home my baby brother, I can’t lose him like this,” Ichirou whispers softly when Andrew comes close enough to hear him. Andrew doesn’t bother replying. The king knows Andrew won’t be returning without Neil. 

Dan and Renee are standing next to Matt stroking at his hair while he writhes in pain. 

“Yameru,” Matt hisses out desperately. Everyone knows it’s not Matt’s voice speaking. 

“We need to leave now,” Andrew says, he’s amazed at how calm he’s keeping his voice. Brady rests a hand on Matt’s chest. There’s a glow from her hand that digs down into her chest, her eyes turn an inky black, and she steps through to the void, or rather she disappears into it. Barely a second passes before he’s standing it as well. 

The void is empty and dark, Andrew is sure he’s standing on some kind of path, but he can’t see enough to tell. 

“This is incredible,” Conner’s voice says to what might be his left. 

“Brady how close are we?” Renee asks, Andrew can tell she’s right next to him because he can feel the fabric of her skirt as she moves.

“The nearest people I can feel are at least half a days walk. Matt got us as close as he could. I can feel him feel Neil in that direction.” Brady says, there’s a collective sigh as its realised they can’t see what direction. 

“Yeah, yeah it’s this way.” Conner agrees. Andrew hums in contemplation as he ponders Conner’s ability to see in the void. He doesn’t know what the boy is, nobody does, with maybe the exception of Jessica as his witch. He never changes.

“Can anyone create a light?” Jessica asks.

“Light is going to draw attention,” Thea replies. 

“So is standing around here doing nothing.” Dan quips and a ball of soft light appears in her hand. 

“Fantastic, Brady, Conner. Lead the way,” Andrew says marching off ahead of them. The others have to rush slightly to catch up to him.

“I hate this place,” Jessica says her voice shaking slightly, I’m not sure I can even feel my powers properly. Like not the same way as usual. 

“Yeah, it’s this kind of disconnect. Andrew, can you feel any water?” Robin asks. Andrew considers her question.

“I can feel the water inside of us, but not in the atmosphere, and nothing like a river or lake,” he replies. 

“You can feel the water inside of people?” Robin squawks with a mix of fear and admiration. Andrew ignores her, the extent of his abilities is not up for discussion. 

“How does anybody even survive this place I'm not even sure we're breathing air,” Renee says. Conner shrugs in the dimness and replies, 

“You're not.”

“I feel fine,” Thea says after several beats of silence. 

“You’re not an elemental witch,” Brady replies, she grimaces straight afterwards gripping tightly onto Robin’s arm. Robin looks mildly surprised.

“Ow,” she says with absolutely no inflextion. Brady snatches her hand away, shoving it into her pocket. 

“Can we move quicker,” Brady asks tightly. Speeding up her pace, no one voices a complaint. 

When Andrew has lost count of how many hours they’ve walked Dan asks 

“Are we sure we have enough people to fight them?” 

“I think the fewer people in here, the better, we need enough people to hold our own against people adapted to live here, but we need to draw as little attention as possible,” Renee replies. 

“Who were you planning on bringing, Trojans can’t enter The Void, so they’re out. Bearcats?” Andrew asks. 

“Yeah,” Dan answers. Andrew nods.

“Good set of witches there,” he says, “Not sure I’d trust their pixies.”

“What’s wrong with pixies?” Robin hisses, turning back to glare at him. 

“Nothing,” Andrew tells her, rolling his eyes. 

“Did you hear that?” Conner says stopping short. The rest of the party comes to a halt to listen. Andrew strains his hearing but can’t pick up any noise past the shallow breathing of those around him. Conner looks at them panic clear in his honey brown eyes. “This way.”

Conner darts off at a speed Andrew has only ever seen one other person be capable of. The others rush to keep of with him, but he’s twice as fast. Andrew reaches out and manipulates the water pulsing through Conner’s veins to make him stop. Andrew hates himself for it. Conner is crying helplessly when they get to him. 

“Calm down,” Andrew says sharply. Conner takes a few shaky breaths before he relaxes. “Good, don’t run.” Andrew releases him. 

“That was cruel,” Renee tells him softly. Andrew is aware. He doesn’t need Conner getting himself killed. 

“I don’t care,” he says gruffly. Thea kicks him in the back of the knees. He doesn’t retaliate. A scream pierces through the darkness. 

“Can I run now?” Conner questions. 

“Take Brady,” Andrew and Thea bark out at the same time. The two young familiars race off. 

“What do we do then?” Robin asks. 

“We run too, just slower,” Dan says gruffly, breaking out into a sprint. Andrew can feel the burn in his lungs from the exertion, but he ignores it, pushing it down because of Neil. Neil. Neil is so close he can feel him. The darkness ahead of them clears up, and Andrew can see a crude makeshift village appearing seemingly out of nowhere. Conner’s claws are out and his tearing as best he can at the flesh of The Fox Butcher. Andrew had known how much the man looked like his son, but he’s taken aback when confronted with it. Conner has managed to scratch up the man’s face. The boy’s luck runs out, and Nathan Wesninski grips his hand around Conner’s neck, throwing him backwards into Neil. Jessica gasps, luckily she doesn’t draw attention to herself. 

Andrew can count seven people in the skulk, he’s aware there could be more lurking in huts, but they’ll just have to deal with that problem when it arises. Brady is flickering herself in and out of being a human and a bee, stinging at the faces of her enemies, unlike a natural bumblebee she has unlimited chances. Renee reaches the village and kicks a woman in the chest. The impact sends the woman flying. All hell breaks loose, and Andrew ignores it, he has a direct line to Neil, and he refuses to let anything get in his way. 

Conner has gotten up and his trying to fight the butcher as best he can even though judging from the amount of blood dripping from his chest. It can’t be easy. The butcher tosses him like a rag doll into Neil and Neil has enough agency left in himself to wrap his hands around Conner’s body. Neil spots Andrew and nods slightly. Nathan “The Fox Butcher” Wesninski is too busy gloating to notice. Andrew spares a glance to gauge his surroundings, but no one is paying attention to him. Andrew slides a knife out from its hiding place in his sleeve, he creeps up silently behind Nathan and drives the blade straight through his throat. He doesn’t even make a sound until he hits the ground with a thud. 

Andrew drops the knife and runs towards Neil. He kisses him quickly, allowing himself that moment. He checks for Conner’s pulse. He can feel it dully thudding under his fingertip.

“Itty Bitty Lisowski, he’s like a tiny Matt, Matt, Matt, Matt,” Neil says deliriously. He smiles at Andrew. “Thank you.” 

“Don’t thank me yet idiot,” Andrew tells him. “Can you get up?” Neil shakes his head. 

“I think my leg is broken, or possibly not even there anymore” he answers, much soberer than before. Andrew looks down, Neil’s leg is twisted and mangled, yet it still appears to be attached to his body. 

“What about teleportation, do you think you can do that?” Neil glares at him, carding a hand through Conner’s hair. 

“With help maybe, if we can wake up Itty and get Brady over here. The made me drink something that made me feel funny, it tasted like water, but it made my stomach hurt.”

“Holy water?” Andrew queries. Neil shudders and Conner twitches in his lap, Neil grips the boy protectively.

“I believe so, I’m pretty grounded.” There’s a crash from behind them, and Andrew turns to see Thea throw a man through a building. “Go and help them,” Neil tells him. 

“I don’t want to leave you unguarded,” Andrew snarls at him. 

“Then fucking fix me, and we can get a move on,” Neil demands, shifting Conner, so the boy is lying on his side, splade out across the ground. Andrew runs a hand roughly through Neil’s.

“This is going to hurt,” he says, plunging his magic into Neil’s stomach. Neil stays stock still. Andrew is pretty sure he’s forcing himself not to squirm because this act has to be burning his partner from the inside out. Andrew can tell when it’s done because energy rolls out of Neil like a shockwave knocking down everyone in his path. Neil places his hands on Conner’s chest and manipulates the energy. The boy coughs a few times and sits up rapidly. 

“Did we win?” he says wiping his mouth. 

“Not yet, kid,” Andrew replies gruffly. Conner runs the palms of his hand rapidly across his hair and groans.

There's another loud crash and Andrew can see Jessica shaking off a huge it. She snarls at her opponent looking angrier than ever before. 

“How's your aim?” Andrew asks Neil handing him a knife. Neil throws it without looking, straight into the chest of the man stalking towards Jessica menacingly. 

“I had that!” Jessica yells at them. 

“Good for you, I don’t,” Robin screams somewhere to the right of them, as she tries to duck away from an energy burst and cops it straight in the face. Thea comes running behind the woman who threw it and in a running leap launches herself through the air, wrapping her legs around the woman’s neck and choking her. Robin and Thea high-five triumphantly. Neil knocks his whole body into Conner’s

“You ready to do some damage Itty?” Neil asks. 

“You know I’m taller than you?” Conner huffs, stretching his back out. “We giving Andrew a power boost?” Conner asks he’s already started shifting to his animal form before Neil can reply. They look nice together. Neil’s red fur is a perfect contrast to Conner’s black. Andrew curls his fingers into the napes of their necks. Neil might have only just discovered he was a familiar, but he’s been around them long enough to know how this works. Andrew can feel their energy and excitement coursing through his blood. Conner wiggles his tail in anticipation. Andrew draws on the water inside his own body and sends a blast of it towards two men trying to subdue Dan. Dan is smart enough to get out of the way, the men are not, and they go flying. Andrew’s not sure, but he thinks he hears bones break. He thinks maybe he should be disturbed by that. Instead, he’s satisfied. They make quick work after that, the bodies of the enemy strewn haphazardly about this nothing place. 

“Can we go home now?” Renee says, giving Neil a quick pat and upon getting an angry headbutt, she gives Conner one too. 

The walk back somehow seems longer, yet easier. There’s some groaning of sore bodies, and Andrew finds his mind clearer now that Neil is at his side. They get back to the entry point, and Brady guides them all through with an exhausted smile on her face.

Matt is sitting up in the bed talking animatedly with Aaron when they return to the real world. Neil knocks everyone out of the way scrambling to get to him. He sits on Matt’s chest and paws at him, yipping at the fire witch. 

“I’m doing okay, are you hurt?” Matt asks. Andrew ushers everyone out of the room, the two of them deserve some privacy. 

He discovers Evermore is buzzing. The Trojans have arrived as well as members of the Atlantic Court. The Foxes have also added to their ranks with Wymack and Bee who are chatting with Kevin, Jean and Jeremy. Kevin appears weary of his father but happy to have attention that won’t end in pain. Andrew doesn’t join them. Instead he opts to sit with Ichirou, Erik and Nicky. 

“He’s with Matt,” he tells Ichirou before The King can open his mouth. 

“We appreciate that,” Erik says. 

“Can we see him?” Nicky asks, Erik wraps an arm around Nicky’s shoulder.

“Give him some space love.” Nicky gives a resigned huff, and other than to lean into Erik doesn’t move.

Andrew feels the waves of opposing emotions rolling over him as Seth and Ali reach the table. He inwardly groans he hates dealing with them together. 

“Budge over Minyard,” Ali says.

“I hate you,” Andrew groans, obeying anyway. They slide into the seat next to him, and Seth takes the other side. 

“Kevin has a crush on Jeremy. He’s practically glowing,” Ali announces, leaning in conspiritorly 

“I would imagine that’s a good thing considering the man is going to be taking him in,” Andrew replies. There’s a humming of agreement, Andrew isn’t sure if everyone had known the plan before this point, but it has certainly been taken in stride. 

“Also that Conner kid is skittish as all fuck,” Seth says. Andrew rolls his eyes. 

“Yeah he’s never been around a dragon before, give him some slack. Do not rile him up.” Seth huffs loudly and folds his arms. 

“I wasn’t going to.” he insists. 

“Tell them about Jack though; you said Jack was bad news,” Nicky says. 

“Oh yeah, that guy wants to kill someone. I’d really suggest not keeping him around,” Seth informs Andrew. 

“Appreciate the heads up, I’ll Thea know,” Andrew says. 

“Thea?” Ali asks. Andrew shrugs. 

“I’m making her high priestess if she wants it, I don’t need this position in my life,” he says. 

“Your people follow you,” Ichirou states matter-of-factly. 

“They’ll follow her too,” Andrew replies, and Ichirou smiles. 

“Yes they will,” Ichirou says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nathan gets stabbed through the neck, mostly off-screen oc deaths. 
> 
> Neil is given Holy Water, something that is poisonous/ dangerous to him. He is fine
> 
> Neil is still kidnapped and still getting tortured, we don't particularly see much of it. 
> 
> Andrew uses magic to stop Conner from running too far ahead of the others because he doesn't want him getting hurt.
> 
> if anyone is interested Erik and Kevin are speaking a mix of German and Irish their conversation (probably badly) translates to:
> 
> “Cousin. Sweetheart” Erik breathes out cautiously running his hand through Kevin’s hair.
> 
> “Idiot,” Kevin hisses angrily. “Where is he?” he asks, beating a fist into Erik’s chest.
> 
> “He is here, I can get him,” Erik tells him, making no move to stop Kevin hitting him.
> 
> “I've missed you,” Kevin admits. 
> 
> “I missed you too, we never wanted you to go,” Eriks says, Kevin steps away from him and folds his arms across his chest.
> 
> “Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me? Erik, Why?” he’s screaming by the end and Andrew steps forward.
> 
> “That’s enough,” Andrew says. Kevin turns and spits at him. 
> 
> “It’s not enough, you don’t get to tell me that. Get out. Get out. Get out.” Andrew grabs Erik by the back of his collar and drags him out of the room, almost knocking Nicky over in the process. He slams to door closed. 
> 
> ~
> 
> so there we have it, folks, I know the ending is extremely rushed but I had to get it done so I hope you are satisfied. As I said in the opening notes I am looking to write up some extra content because I know I left it in a bit of a shambles. I do hope you had fun and let me know what you would like to see in the extra content!!!!!


	10. GWH EXTRA CONTENT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some extra content!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all here's the first part of the extra content I talked about, I want to add a second one with what everyone is and some cool character development. 
> 
> right now I'm actually too tired to function and am about to just pass out so this is it for now.

**What is the void?**   
  
The Void is basically where people who use teleportation magic travel through. It’s like a nothingness between things. Think of it kind of like a side/pocket dimension to our own. People aren’t meant to stay there, but certain creatures can adapt quite well and manipulate the void to their advantage. E.g having a village there. Humans can’t enter it at all because it will kill them  
  
 **How does royal lineage work?**   
  
So this one is a bit of a weird one. Essentially you have three thrones. The King, or the High Throne. A throne on the right and a throne on the left. These two thrones usually go to the siblings or the children of the King. If there are no siblings or children the King children or the siblings of the left or the right can be next in line and usually keeps to this line of succession. Alternatively the king can elect someone of his choosing to sit in a throne (or just leave it empty) Basically in this case. Kengo was king, Tetsuji was the left and Nathan was the right. If each throne follows a line of succession Kengo’s line takes the High Throne, Tetsuji’s line takes the left and Nathan’s line takes the right. Since Kengo/Tetsuji is the same line their thrones go to first and second son and Nathan’s goes to Neil. NOW! Because Riko and Neil left the royal household they aren’t considered to be in line for the throne, but if it’s empty, or if its being held by an elected official they can come back and claim it. Which is exactly what Riko tried to do. The issue was that because he tried to claim Neil’s throne instead of his own, which means that if the two of them try to claim it at the same time Neil get preference because it’s his line of succession. In the case of who gets the throne next, it’ll currently go to Erik’s sisters because even though he’s elected by the king he gets a line of succession, and because neither Neil or Ichirou have siblings or children Erik’s siblings are first in line. It’ll then branch out in cousins etc.  
  
 **How did Neil become a familiar?  
  
** He actually always was one, they (Nathan and Tetsuji) had blocked his ability to connect, he could still sense his familiar he just didn’t know. This is why he is drawn to the foxhole court and is so close to Matt, I believe he even compares him and Matt to Jean and Andrew. The reason they find out about the bond is because Nathan takes away the spell blocking it, primarily to make Neil’s suffering worse. Jokes on Nathan though because that’s how they find him.  
  
**Is Jack going to do something?  
  
** Yeah, he’s going to try and stage a coupe, and I guess try to take over the Ravens. I don’t think he has a plan past revenge killing Neil and Andrew and their “Minions” essentially he’s disposed of quite easily and told to find another coven.  
  
**Are Conner and Neil related?**   
  
Yes and No. They aren’t literally related but they were part of the same Skulk/Group. So to the human world if asked they would say they are cousins. This is why Neil has the nickname of Itty for Conner because Neil knew him as a child. Neil probably new Conner was a Raven/that he had stayed with the Raven Coven, but probably didn’t interact much, if at all, in the last few years.   
  
**Did Nicky become part of the royal guard?  
  
** Yes, after the whole debacle they took Neil home to The Foxhole while him and Matt recovered and Ichirou insisted on leaving guards to watch over them. Neil agreed on the condition that Erik trained Nicky. Conner also took up the opportunity for training. The two of them have become good friends.   
  
**Who are Renee’s gods?  
  
** This is one of the things that is weird because several of the characters are based on myths and gods, which is why the title of the fic is Gods Walk Here. There characters however are essentially considered to be normal people and not you know...godly or anything. I explained that weirdly. Renee’s gods are based more around the idea of a Holy Mother and Father that embody the five elements. She thinks of the gods as being true people just like Wymack and Bee and Ali etc, to her you could conceivably walk down the street and help out and old lady and have her be Mother Earth, or Father Air serving you your breakfast.  
  
 **Did Thea accept the High Priestess position?**   
  
Fuck yes. Females are the future. Thea is a badass and I really think she deserves the position.  
  
 **What’s the deal with Aaron?**  
  
Aaron is Andrew’s doppelganger, he was created as a spell about four or five years ago. His original purpose was largely experimentation, but also for communication and just in case something happened to Andrew. Andrew’s spell was so powerful he created a complete autonomous being. He created a person with feeling and thoughts and critical thinking skills as opposed to a kind of ‘living doll’ because of this Andrew sees Aaron as a brother and not as a creation. Aaron’s behaviours and understands can at times still be child like but he is considered to be a fully fledged person at this point. He is starting to develop a crush on Katelyn, but he’s awkward and unsure about it.   
  
**Do Jean and Andrew stay with the Ravens?**   
  
They do, its their home and their family, the coven does work towards better relations with other Clans/Covens/Courts etc looking to create a kind of harmony amongst them. How’s Kevin doing? He’s pretty good, he’s settling into like with the Trojans. Its very good for him because he isn’t surrounded by triggers and he gets to be completely separate from his life before and heal away from that environment. He has some lapses in his memories and he can have emotional mood swings as he tries to come back into himself. He is very smitten with Jeremy. He and Thea are on good terms as well, but their relationship is definitely on hold while he sorts himself out.  
  
 **Will Nicky/Ichirou/Erik develop further and while issues arise from their relationship.**  
  
I think they will, at the moment its more Ichirou and Erik are in one relationship and Erik and Nicky are in another. Ichirou and Erik’s relationship is not particularly sexual, but they have loved each other very much since childhood and anyone could see that they would end up together. Erik and Nicky’s is definitely based on physical attraction and sex, but that doesn’t mean genuine emotion and affections aren’t present. It also doesn’t mean Erik finds his relationship with Ichirou lacking in anyway. Ichirou and Nicky are starting to develop something but it hasn’t reached that point in the story. In terms of it causing issues, inside of their own relationship(s) maybe it will but no more than any other relationship that has its ups and downs. In terms of because Ichirou is The King, not at all poly relationships in this universe aren’t super common but they aren’t so rare that it would be a huge shock. People might be unhappy about it and talk shit but they can’t really do much about it...I mean unless enough people were THAT unhappy they wanted to stage a rebellion/revolution. In general though most people would just be like, okay cool. Also because they don’t have kids that makes things simpler.


	11. EXTRA CONTENT - QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so many moons ago, I did some character development question and I'm sharing them here with you now. I'm afraid I never got around to all of the characters and I doubt anyone actually cares too much but if for some reason you'd like to see here they are

**Neil**

_1\. what subjects/skills did your character pick up most easily:_ ****  
  
he picks up energy manipulation much better than teleportation, he can easily use it to bind people so it's easy for him to escape. He's also good with knives but his skills are more of a necessity to learn rather than natural talent

  1. _would your character give their life for anything why?_ **  
**  
He would give his life if it would truly protect those he loved, but he wouldn't do it unless the pretences were clear and laid out.

  2. _How does your character feel about human cloning why **  
**_**  
** human cloning doesn't actual exist in this universe, but Andrew creating Aaron is sort of on par,So I guess Neil doesn't have a problem with it and would treat clones as their own people. He would have a problem with them being mistreated.

  3. _who is/was your characters least favourite teacher/tutor what is/were they like **  
**_**  
** Tetsuji Moriyama. He was brutal, even more so than Neil's father when training them in magic. It was hard for Neil to look at his father because they are a spitting image. But Tetsuji looks like Ichirou, the older brother that Neil idolised in his youth which is a whole other bottle of angst.

  4. _what is your character's ethnic background_

He is of mixed anglo, indian and japanese heritage. - to be absolutely fair I haven't 100% kept this but I liked the idea of him being related to the Moriyama's by blood somewhere along the line, like a distant cousin perhaps. The indian came in because I've seen a couple of headcanons about his mother being british indian and I thought that was cool as well. As it stands the world doesn't have the same ethnic backgrounds as us anyway so really he could just be anything.  
  


 

**Andrew:**

    1. _if your character found their paternal grandfather's private journal would they read it?_  
  
Not unless he felt it pertained important/relevant information, not because he'd care about privacy, but because of lack of interest.

    2. _How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation_  
  
extremely quick, but only if he feels the treat needs to maintained instantly. For Andrew use of his magic counts as physical violence and he will drown an enemy in an instant.

    3. _How does/would your character's mother feel about your character's opinion on werewolves_  
  
see this is interesting, because I wonder if Tilda would still be his mother, or if someone else would, assuming she is, because Nicky is his cousin and therefore the family are “religious fanatics” she'd think poorly of it, because likely Andrew thinks of werewolves as people, like his familiar is a werecat. I could imagine Tilda (and Luther) been very against magic and it is probably the reason he got given away. Luther possibly even tried to kill him in infancy.

    4. _What is the last dream he remembers_  
  
Andrew tries to actively not remember his dreams because they're usual reminders of the horrible things from his past. He did have a very nice one about Neil recently, if you know what I mean.

    5. _what is his favourite childhood memory_  
  
when he was twelve he ran away from where he was staying and spent a week eating out of dumpsters and sleeping in alleyways before anyone caught up to him. Being a street urchin for a week was definitely a highlight.

 

**Riko:**

    1. _if he could live anywhere on earth where would he live_  
  
He'd never say it but sometimes he secretly wishes he lived somewhere far, far away with just his mother and father, no brother, no responsibilities, no royalty, no magic...but then he scoffs at how disgusting that is and goes to use his magic to torment someone. The times he thinks about this he cries himself to sleep. Kevin tried to comfort him once...his response was to nearly snap Kevins' neck he choked him so hard

    2. _what is the best piece of advice he has received_  
  
If you believe you are above other people you will be, the words are misconstrued but they're definitely ones he lives by. There's a second part to it but Riko has since forgotten it

    3. _does he prefer cats or dogs_  
  
He prefers dogs, but mostly just because he hates Jean so that kind of ruins cats for him

    4. _what is his least favourite day of the year_  
  
The day Neil left, he knew he was leaving, he just didn't think it was permanent. He always expected Neil to come back. He's angry about it not out of love but out of a sense of ownership

    5. _if there was an extra hour every day what would he do with it._  
  
Probably go for a walk in solitude and get a meal down near the river.  
  


  


 

**Kevin:**

 

    1. _if he became president/king what is the first thing he would do_  
  
abolish magical based slavery, which would actually be hard considering that the general public doesn't know about magic, but fuck he'd find a way

    2. _what position does your character sleep in_  
  
Kevin often sleeps as a raven on a perch with his head tucked under his wing. Other wise in the foetal position facing the wall and pushing himself up against it.

    3. _does your character have any noteworthy features: freckles, dimples, scars etc_  
  
He was several scars along his arms/wings it makes it hard for him to fly in bird from

    4. _does your character have an accent what does it sound like?_  
  
His accent is similar to that of a soft irish accent. Probably close to south side dublin

    5. _If you were to pick a song and only one song to describe your character what would you pick and why_

lost children - longlost  
  
  
  


**Ichirou:**
  5.     1. _does your character have any verbal tics, do they have trouble pronouncing certain words or getting their words across_  
  
No, he is extremely well spoken and articulates clearly. However in private he'll speak three or four different languages and like cut off sentences and use atrocious slang. Erik has to translate him constantly.

    2. _are they a quick thinker or do they need time to sort through their thoughts_

He's a quick thinker

    3. _what do they think of creation do they believe in evolution or do they believe in god. What is their religion like._

He believes in gods, he knows them but not particularly in like GodsTM. Like he's not knocking anyone's creation myths. Considering the magic in the universe it's totally plausible but he's not resigning himself to any and is completely against people using religion for their own gain. He runs the kingdom completely secularly and acknowledges the people's rights to their holy days and won't interfere.

    4. _describe 5 unusual characteristics of your character_  
  
\- Broke his nose once. Or rather Neil broke his nose it was an accident, it didn't heal quite right but nobody ever seems to notice it's wonky.  
\- Has long legs that are disproportionate to his torso, he is taller than the rest of his family, but not taller than Erik.  
\- He is almost always seen with some kind of book between his fingers and often has Tarot cards in his pocket.  
\- Often says hello to animals, just in case. People have noticed him do this and say nothing because they don't want the king to know they've caught him being fucking weird  
\- He hasn't cut his hair since he became king.  
  


5. _have they ever been so overwhelmed they had to stop and take a break from something._

Several times, most recently when him and Erik went to see Neil at the tavern, he retired immediately to his chambers and slept. Erik brought him a hot meal and a kiss on the cheek some hours later  
  
  
  


**Matt:**

 

      1. _Are they a team player or do they prefer to be solo_  
  
Team Player. 100%

      2. _can they multitask or only focus on one subject at a time_  
  
He can multitask easily, but he doesn't like to do it. He prefers to focus on one thing at time.

      3. _is your character an extrovert or an introvert how do they handle large crowds of people_  
  
Matt is an Extrovert and he likes to be surrounded by people, he will often come out and talk to people about their meals. He'd still rather spend most of his time with the other foxes than with strangers.

      4. _Are they a leader or a follower, or would they prefer to stay on the sidelines altogether_  
  
Matt is a follower, because he has all of his trust in Dan and in Wymack, if he didn't he wouldn't be there.

      5. if your character was suddenly challenged would they rather run away or fight  
  
Given no other option, Matt would fight. He's very skilled in combatant magic and do a lot of damage with fire. Also like, he can punch someone pretty hard. This being said, he'd rather a diplomatic approach than a violent one.  
  
  


  


 




 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a few more that are like half done, like some for Dan and some for Aaron, but I figure this is better than nothing. I should really leave this fic alone shouldn't I. I am so sorry


End file.
